hen we get past this tunnel of blackberries, we’ll get a better view,” my guide assures me. It’s an Oregon summer day, and I’m tromping up a gravel road after Owen Wozniak, a project manager for The Trust for Public Land. Ahead of us along the ridgeline, a mosaic of deep green Douglas firs nearly obscures the summit’s basalt cliffs. But as we round the bend, the view indeed opens up, and the forest thins to reveal an oak savannah and rolling pastures. This is Thurston Hills, nearly 700 acres of sprawling meadows and woodland on the outskirts of Springfield. It’s the future site of the region’s first community forest. Three years ago, The Trust for Public Land helped conserve the property; today the local parks and recreation department is working on a plan to improve public access.
“That housing development is new,” says Wozniak, pointing to a small cluster of homes on the valley floor. “Come back in ten years, and that whole area will be built out. But no matter how big Springfield gets, Thurston Hills will remain open to the community to connect to nature.”
While still a novelty here in the west, in New England states the community- owned forest is a venerable institution. This year, Vermont celebrates the 100-year anniversary of its Municipal Forest Act, the legislation that established the “town forest” model as a regional tradition. Modern community forests take many forms, but most towns that have one would recognize the definition Wozniak offers: “A community forest is a woodland that’s owned and managed locally, with all bene- fits—from timber, to tourism, to watershed protection—returned to the community, not Wall Street.”
For fast-growing cities like Springfield, it’s a compelling proposition: acquire open space to safeguard residents’ quality of life, and benefit from the services that the ecosystem provides. “At its most successful, a community forest essentially pays for itself,” says Rodger Krussman, Vermont and New Hampshire state director for The Trust for Public Land. “It’s an elegant approach. You conserve undeveloped land close to town and use the revenue generated by that land for its upkeep.” Communities from Portland, Maine to Honolulu, Hawaii are getting organized to claim their forests. Here’s what they gain when they do.
TPL.ORG · 41
jerry and marcy monkman
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