Women on the Land

Women on the Land aims to build a network of women, trans, non-binary, and femme landowners and stewards in Massachusetts to provide opportunities for education and connection with one another and the land. Events take place year round.

"Women on the Land" is a new publication that aims to help women landowners better understand their woodlands and make informed decisions to meet their goals. Based on interviews with women landowners and forestry professionals across the eastern United States, the publication aims to identify some of the most common questions, goals, and challenges of women landowners. Download "Women on the Land" PDF or request a free copy by emailing Lina Clifford.

Join the Women on the Land Listserv and Email List:

The Women on the Land Email List is intended for sharing official Women on the Land events and programming. Click this link to join the email list to get updates on upcoming events.

The Women on the Land listserv is intended for the use of sharing information and discussion of land conservation, forestry, ecology for female landowners, professionals, and others interested in these topics. You must be a Women on the Land listserv member in order to post messages or search the archives. 

  • To join the listserv, please email paulcat@umass.edu stating your name and why you are interested in joining the listserv. 
  • Listserv guidelines: This listserv is monitored, but is public. To send a message to the listserv, enter "womenontheland@groups.umass.edu" into your email. Please keep messages relevant. Keep in mind, hitting "reply" will send a message to the entire listserv. 

 

Upcoming Events:

Stay tuned for more great events coming soon!

Resources and information from previous events

 

  • Ins & Outs of Conservation Restrictions Webinar - Tuesday, November 19th from 6:30 - 8pm (Zoom)

    • Conservation Restrictions (CRs) are a great way for landowners to enact long-term conservation on their own property. These legal agreements limit certain uses such as development in order to permanently protect the conservation values of the property. CRs are also flexible to meet various landowner goals and can provide federal income tax benefits once the CR is in place. These agreements involve a partnership between the grantor (landowner) and grantee (qualified holder of the CR). WOTL was joined by Cynthia Henshaw, Executive Director of the East Quabbin Land Trust which holds dozens of CRs, and Lisa Cohen, a landowner with a CR on her property to learn more about this conservation-based estate planning option. 

  • Early Successional Harvest Woods Walk with the Opacum Land Trust - Sunday, October 20th from 1 - 3pm (Southbridge, MA)
    • There are many potential benefits to transitioning parts of forested areas to earlier successional stages. While they may look dramatic on the landscape at first, these kinds of cuts can promote biodiverse habitats, prompt forest regeneration, and help to reduce the spread of pests, all while resulting from a productive harvest. WOTL was hosted by forester Scott Gerrish for a tour of a recent higher-intensity cut at the Opacum Land Trust’s Morneau Farm. At this property, we were able to see the forest in various successional stages, with the recent harvest abutting a cut completed 5 years ago, all surrounded by forest approximately 100 years old. Scott sharee Opacum’s motivations behind opening the canopy, forestry considerations that went into the project, and the results that are seen at the site today.
  • Chapter 61 Webinar - Monday, October 7th from 6:30 - 8pm (Zoom)
    • Women on the Land was thrilled to host a webinar all about the ins and outs of Chapter 61, a program that gives tax benefits to landowners who maintain some of their property as open space for timber production, agriculture, or recreation. We were joined by town assessor Cindy Proirier, consulting forester Mary Wigmore, and landowner Maryellen Mara-Christian. Together, Cindy and Mary reviewed the qualifications and enrollment requirements, associated forest management and cost-share opportunities, and Maryellen shared her personal experience as a landowner having been enrolled in Chapter 61 for over 20 years. 

  • Women on the Land Chainsaw Training - Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 from 8am to 5pm (Pelham, MA)

    • Women on the Land partnered with the UMass club Femmes in Forestry to offer a chainsaw training weekend at UMass Amherst and Cadwell Memorial Forest in Pelham, MA. Thanks to funding from Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's Working Forest Initiative, the event was free for participants with chaps and forestry helmets available to borrow free of charge during the course. The training was led by two Game of Logging instructors from Vermont and level 1 and level 2 of Game of Logging was offered. Chainsaw safety basics, directional felling, chainsaw maintenance, and spring pole release skills were covered over the weekend. 

  • Women in Conservation Gathering - Saturday, April 6 from 10am to 3pm (Wildlands Trust Headquarters in Plymouth, MA)

    • Buzzards Bay Coalition, Wildlands Trust, and Women on the Land partnered for a Women in Conservation Gathering in April, 2024 with learning and networking opportunities. The half day event included three workshops and a guided hike.

  • Managing for Biodiverisity Webinar - Thursday, March 7 from 6:30pm to 8pm (Zoom)

    • The “little things that run the world” are in big trouble: insect populations are plummeting, and many species are headed for extinction. This insect species decline has big implications for our food systems, ecology, and biodiversity. The good news is that we can turn this around with the stewardship of our forests. Forests are critical habitat for pollinators and other essential species. By protecting native plants, controlling invasive plants, and leaving deadwood, we can restore vital insect populations. This presentation by Heidi Dollard of the Massachusetts Pollinator Network discusses what you can do to help!

  • Networking Zoom Lunch Hour - Thursday, December 14 from 12pm to 1pm (Zoom)
    • Women on the Land hosted a lunch-hour networking zoom call! Michele Grzenda, Lincoln's Conservation Director and WOTL Steering Committee member kicked off the conversation ith a 10 minute case study on "Trails: How different trail use activities affect open space and tools you can use to determine appropriate trail uses." Then discussion was opened up to other conservation and stewardship conversations.
  • Women on the Land Keystone Training - Thursday 10/26 through Sunday 10/29 at Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA
    • The Keystone Project is an intensive, 3-day retreat style training program focusing on forest and wildlife conservation. The Keystone curriculum includes indoor and outdoor sessions on forest ecology and management, wildlife management, forest health, land conservation, and landowner outreach. For more than 30 years, Keystone has educated forest owners and local leaders who have a significant impact on their communities. Keystone Cooperators can own forestland, be involved in the care and stewardship of a property or be an active community leader. In return, participants agree to return to their community as an advocate for forest conservation. Learn more about Keystone.
    • This fall, the Keystone Project partnered with the Women on the Land (WOTL) network to host an all-women Keystone training. The WOTL Keystone training took place Thursday evening, October 26, through Sunday afternoon, October 29 at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA. Click here to find a Keystone Cooperator near you.
  • "Restoring Old Growth Characteristics" Webinar (October 4, 2023): This webinar presented by Paul Catanzaro, MA State Extension Forester and Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst, covered topics from the new publication Restoring Old-Growth Characteristics to New England’s and New York’s Forests. Old-growth forests were once the predominant natural condition across New England and New York before European settlement; however, it is now one of the rarest. Though new old-growth forests cannot be created, there is an opportunity through both passive and active management to restore old-growth characteristics in our current forests. There is renewed focus on restoring these characteristics given their compatibility with objectives such as biodiversity conservation, forest carbon, and resilience to climate change. The goal of the publication is to increase the amount of old-growth characteristics in the region by giving decision-makers the information they need to adopt old-growth restoration strategies in ways that complement their ownership goals, helping to sustain our native forests and their many benefits.
  • "Bugs and Brews" Event at Rapscallion Pub in partnership with Opacum Land Trust (September 10, 2023): An in-person event where forest health specialist and Opacum Land Trust Director Felicia Hubacz presented about the pests and diseases impacting our local forest health. Felicia brough specimens to see up close and Women on the Land sponsored a light lunch. Participants were able to purchase local beer, wine, and additional snacks from Rapscallion Pub. 

  • Mother's Day Weekend Spring Flower Walk (May 13, 2023): An in-person hike at Silvio O Conte to celebrate Mother's Day where family, partners, and children are welcome. Lanie Wilder, Executive Director of Opacum Land Trust, guided us in learning different native and invasive plants.

  • Forest Resiliency Woods Wak (April 21, 2023): An in person woods walk with Christina McKeown, Climate Forester at Massachusetts DCR, at private landowner Susie Feldman's property. This walk focused on learning to spot elements of climate resiliency and vulnerability in the forest. Women learned about Susie's process of protecting her land, too!

  • Forest Management in the Face of Climate Change Webinar (January 19, 2023): Learning about the effects of climate change, such as increased invasive species and changing habitats, and how they impact our forests. This webinar includes a presentation from Christina McKeown, Climate Forester at Massachusetts DCR and offers tips for increasing forest resiliency.

  • New England Forest Ecology Webinar (January 19, 2021): Learning about the ecology of your woodland is an exciting and engaging way to interact with your property. It also provides an excellent foundation from which to understand your stewardship options better. This webinar will include a presentation from Emma Sass, a research fellow at the University of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Conservation/ USDA Forest Service’s Family Forest Research Center (FFRC).

  • Women Owning Woodlands Network Entomology Series: This series highlights a common insect impacting forests throughout the U.S paired with an interview of a woman landowner who has had to address that insect in managing her forest. ​​​​​​

This work is funded through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Working Forest Initiative.  

 

Related Files: 
File ForestManagementClimateChangeWebinar_AdditionalResources.docx