Forest Society Blog - News & Features

As part of Land Trust Alliance Advocacy Days 2026, Forest Society leaders met with New Hampshire’s congressional delegation and U.S. Forest Service officials to advance key conservation priorities, including Farm Bill programs, a proposed Forest Conservation Easement Program, and the value of open space. These conversations also addressed concerns about the Forest Service’s proposed reorganization, reinforcing the importance of strong federal partnerships and scientific capacity to support forests and communities.

In summer 2025, the Underhill family donated a conservation easement on their 258-acre property in Bethlehem. Owned since 1946 and one of the oldest certified Tree Farms in the country, Underhill Acres will remain in family hands while permanently protecting its forests, wildlife habitat, and over a mile of stream and river frontage. The property will host the 2025 NH Tree Farm Field Day on September 13.

The purpose of the program is to keep forests as forests through the use of conservation easements that purchase development rights from willing private and tribal landowners to prevent conversion to non-forest uses.

Spring ephemeral is the term used for many of New Hampshire's wildflowers that show off in the spring and then move on to a different life cycle where they wither away back underground after going through a reproductive phase. The short definition is growing over a short amount of time.

To help the Easement Stewardship team monitor thousands of acres of conservation properties, the Volunteer Easement Monitoring Program (VEMP) was started in 2016. Since then, the program has been gradually expanding.