Webinar: Permanent retention of exceptional trees can improve ecosystem integrity in managed forests
2025-12-03 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Register
December 3, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PT / 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT / 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Please join us for a webinar with Drs. Stephen Sillett and Marie Antoine (Cal Poly Humboldt) as they share research on the contributions of exceptional trees—the most robust, fastest-growing individuals—to stand-level productivity and biomass in managed forests.
The discussion will highlight recent work conducted across 20 locations where exceptional trees were paired with nearby co-dominant trees. Trees were climbed and cored at multiple heights for growth history reconstruction. The same areas were scanned with airborne lidar, and new algorithms were developed for crown-level canopy segmentation. Lidar data were linked with direct measurements to allow precise estimates of landscape-level aboveground biomass.
Findings show that exceptional trees grow faster than typical trees and contribute disproportionately to forest biomass, yet are largely restricted to creek drainages protected by forest practice rules. If long-term carbon storage and forest resilience are management priorities, then silvicultural approaches to restore more large trees across the landscape should be considered. Permanent protection for a subset of robust, undamaged trees is a twist on retention forestry well-suited to all forests where tree longevity exceeds rotation ages used in timber extraction. Setting exceptional trees aside now offers a hopeful action for the future

Guild Members FSC General Assembly Update & Discussion
2025-12-05 14:15 - 15:15
Register (Limited to current Guild members)
December 5, 2025
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. ET
Join us for a Guild member–exclusive online event as we dive into insights from the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) recent General Assembly (GA) held in Panama City from October 26–31.
Guest Speaker: Richard Donovan
Richard will share his firsthand experience and highlight the major takeaways from this important triennial gathering—one that plays a critical role in shaping the future of global forest certification processes.
Following the presentation, we’ll open the floor for a member discussion, offering space for conversation, questions, and shared reflections.

Tree Planting Best Practices in the Northeast - Webinar
2025-12-18 10:00 - 23:00
Register
December 18, 2025
10:00 a.m – 11:00 a.m. ET
Join this webinar where Guild member Dr. Tony D’Amato and Dr. Peter Clark from the University of Vermont will describe a new tree planting guide developed for foresters and natural resources professionals working in the Northeast: “Reforestation Guide: Tree Planting to Enrich, Restore, and Adapt Northern Forests.”
This webinar is jointly hosted by the Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network Forests Work Group, the University of Vermont, The Nature Conservancy, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. This event has been pre-approved for SAF CFE credit.

BF 235: Silvopasture course
2026-01-14 18:30 - 2026-02-18 20:00
Register
Wednesdays, from from January 14 – February 18
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Full event details
Join Guild member Eli Roberts to learn to Integrate Trees, Livestock, and Forage for Multiple Wins on Your Farm.
There are many ways of combining trees, forage, and animals in useful, efficient, practical, and profitable arrangements. But none of these outcomes is guaranteed, and there are a lot of decisions required! When you take this course, you’ll be able to describe, plan for, and evaluate particular silvopasture practices and understand their place in the broader categories of Silvopasture and Agroforestry. You’ll also understand the potential pitfalls that differentiate good silvopasture from poor land management. You’ll leave with the tools to create silvopasture plans for your farm, and to engage with the topic of silvopasture as a practitioner and experimenter.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Plan a silvopasture project of your own, and understand how your plan relates to other silvopastures, and how it fits into the larger category of practices that involve trees on farms.
Articulate goals, clarify functions, plan layout and species, and choose implementation methods.
Understand the guardrails of silvopasture practice, and have the tools to avoid unmanaged forest grazing.
Have the tools to evaluate and make the decisions that will get you to a functional silvopasture.

This course is hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program.

A Spring 2026, Member-Hosted Guild Gathering
2026-05-14 16:00 - 19:00
Save the date
May 14, 2026
4:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Woodstock, Vermont
Join us as we celebrate Guild member Gerry Hawkes, honored as 2025’s Vermont Tree Farmer of the Year! We will continue to mark the Guild’s 30th anniversary at his tree farm in scenic Woodstock, Vermont!
The draft agenda includes:

A guided woods walk and conversation with Gerry about his award-winning stewardship practices,
A visit to his workshop, showcasing his inventions and small-scale logging equipment,
A casual evening of networking with the Guild community,
Appetizers, a campfire, and s’mores, to end the evening on a sweet note!

We will continue to celebrate our 30th Anniversary in 2026 with more special events like this one, honoring decades of ecological forestry and highlighting the exemplary stewardship of the Guild community. If you didn’t make it to a member-hosted event in 2025, put this one on your calendar, and more on the way!

National Guild Gathering - Celebrating 30 years!
2026-09-15 08:00 - 2026-09-17 17:00
Save the dates
September 15 – 17, 2026
Freeport, Maine
Event flyer
More details coming soon…
Join us in celebrating 30 years of the Forest Stewards Guild — a milestone gathering of Guild members, partners, and like-minded stewards from across the country. Together, we’ll reflect on three decades of transformational change in forest stewardship and chart a bold vision for the next 30 years.
This multi-day event in Freeport, Maine will feature inspiring discussions, working sessions, and field trips that connect policy, practice, and people. Discover the beauty of New England’s forests while connecting with the Guild community in a setting that embodies the values of stewardship and collaboration.
Experience Maine’s rich coastal culture — from vibrant working waterfronts and small-town charm to world-class local cuisine — while engaging in meaningful conversations on forest stewardship, ecological integrity, and the future of conservation.
Connect with Guild members, staff, and partners to inspire, learn, and act — advancing shared goals in forest stewardship, ecological resilience, and community.
