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Into the Woods - Blog

We regularly post fresh content to our Into the Woods blog. Some posts are pulled from our print Into the Woods newsletter, and others are online-only exclusives. They range from quick takes on current events, to news and research connected to the New England woods, to stories of the people and places that inspire local forest conservation. Bookmark this page to look for new stories as they're published, or subscribe below to our Into the Woods email bulletin for alerts about new content.

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We welcome suggestions for future Into the Woods online topics! Please email your ideas to Tinsley Hunsdorfer at thunsdorfer@newenglandforestry.org.

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07May

Mass Timber’s Breakthrough

Writing by Frank Lowenstein, photo of a cross-laminated timber slab by Charlie Reinertsen It’s looking like 2020 is going to be the year mass timber breaks into the mainstream. Here are five articles out since the new year that look at different aspects of the mass timber construction movement, as well as two articles from […]
By 36creative • Posted May 7, 2020
28Feb

New study on building with wood and global climate change has New England regional implications, part 2

By Robert Perschel, Executive Director, New England Forestry Foundation, and R. Alec Giffen, Senior Science and Policy Fellow, Clean Air Task Force. Photo by John Horner, courtesy of Rhode Island School of Design. In Part 1 of this blog, we reviewed new research from Churkina et al. (2020) that provides further evidence of the significant […]
By 36creative • Posted February 28, 2020
31Jan

New study on building with wood and global climate change has New England regional implications, part 1

By Robert Perschel, Executive Director, New England Forestry Foundation, and R. Alec Giffen, Senior Science and Policy Fellow, Clean Air Task Force. Photo by John Horner, courtesy of Rhode Island School of Design. A new report from an international team of scientists concludes that managing forests better and using engineered wood products to build tall […]
By 36creative • Posted January 31, 2020
13Nov

The Latest From New England Forestry Foundation’s Initiatives

New England Forestry Foundation’s initiatives continue to drive forward innovation in conservation and sustainable forestry. Keep reading for three key programs’ progress reports from fiscal year 2018-2019. You can also get an in-depth update about our landowner outreach initiative by clicking here. Pooled Timber Income Fund NEFF is poised to break new ground in land […]
By 36creative • Posted November 13, 2019
13May

Forest-to-Cities Climate Challenge

Connecting forest owners, mass timber manufacturers, architects, builders, and housing experts to create a more sustainable New England and reduce the climate crisis. Writing by Frank Lowenstein and Bob Perschel “There are no separate systems. The world is a continuum,” wrote famed environmental thinker Donella Meadows in her book, Thinking in Systems: A Primer. “Where […]
By 36creative • Posted May 13, 2019
11Feb

What Is Exemplary Forestry and Why Does It Matter?

Since the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) was founded nearly 75 years ago, it has had a twin focus—land conservation and improving forest management. The results of our perspective on forest management are clear: after decades of management and multiple harvests, NEFF’s more than 145 Community Forests have extensive regeneration, large mature trees, and large […]
By 36creative • Posted February 11, 2019
11Oct

Forests’ Role in Climate Security

A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change details the serious threat posed by climate change, but underplays the impact healthy forests and the sustainable timber they produce can have in helping to solve the climate crisis. Writing by Frank Lowenstein, Deputy Director and Chief Conservation Officer After the torrential thunderstorm had soaked […]
By 36creative • Posted October 11, 2018
25Sep

Build It With Wood’s Big Year

Writing by Build It With Wood Project Leader Nicole St. Clair Knobloch, photography by Pollux Chung. Last year, NEFF commissioned an analysis on the potential for a mill to produce cross-laminated timber (CLT) from New England wood. The work showed that CLT could be a viable regional forest product and building material, so we got […]
By 36creative • Posted September 25, 2018
22Aug

Mass Timber Mills Coming to Maine — but where and when?

The mass timber supply chain is coming to New England but where and when, exactly, remains an open question. In February of this year, two companies announced they would be opening cross-laminated timber (CLT) factories in Maine within eighteen to twenty-four months. SmartLam, LLC of Montana committed to announcing a mill site as did North Carolina-based […]
By 36creative • Posted August 22, 2018
21Aug

NEFF to Advise MIT Mass Timber Design Project on Affordable Housing

It seems that each month presents an exciting new partnership in service of bringing mass timber construction to New England. This August, NEFF has been invited to advise MIT architect John Klein on a project to bring affordable housing design to developers. The project, “An Engineering Demonstration for a Mass Timber Affordable Housing Prototype for […]
By 36creative • Posted August 21, 2018