"The Society is a forestry association seeking to perpetuate the forests of New Hampshire through their wise use and their complete reservation in places of special scenic beauty."

This was the original mission of the Forest Society, drafted in 1904 – just three years after the organization was founded. Although much has changed over the past century to expand upon our mission – the core belief in combining sustainable forestry practices with land conservation remains intact. We are committed to supporting the economic needs of today while preserving our natural heritage for tomorrow.

To accomplish this, the Forest Society has been a leader in supporting and shaping the sustainable forestry certification programs that have developed over the past 60 years.

• In 1950, the Forest Society became the sponsor of the New Hampshire Tree Farm program, as both a promoter and participant.
• Our lands have also been formerly certified by the New Hampshire Tree Farm program since 1963.
• Forest Society lands were the first Forest Stewardship Council "green certified" lands in New Hampshire in 1999.

We encourage you to visit the following websites to learn more about each certification program and how you can become involved.

New Hampshire Tree Farm program

The American Tree Farm System is a nationwide program that encourages private forest owners to actively manage their forests for multiple values in a sustainable manner. A tree farm is a privately-owned forest managed to produce timber with added benefits of improved wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation, and scenic values. There are also municipal watersheds, school forests and other public ownerships certified as tree farmers.

The Tree Farm System was launched in 1941 by the nation's wood-using industries. The system is managed by the American Forest Foundation. Operating funds for the program come from forest industry, forest landowners and others interested in encouraging good forestry on private lands. (Information courtesy of New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association.)

Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council was created in 1993 to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. FSC sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. Like the forestry profession itself, the FSC system includes stakeholders with a diverse array of perspectives on what represents a well-managed and sustainable forest.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI®) program is a comprehensive system of principles, objectives and performance measures developed by foresters, conservationists and scientists, that combines the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil and water quality. There are currently more than 136 million acres of forestland in North America enrolled in the SFI program.