Forests: Field Workshop Spring 2025
Forests: Field Workshop Spring 2025
This workshop was held Tuesday, May 6, 2025; 2:00 - 4:30 pm, Ulster County, NY
This workshop was developed through a partnership with Cornell University and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program with funding from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.
Forests cover most of the watershed of the Hudson River estuary, and as residents, we receive an array of environmental and health benefits. But are all forests the same? Forests are dynamic and vary in condition, composition, size, shape, and values. Forests face differing amounts of pressure from invasive species, land use, and climate change.
The Hudson River Estuary Program and Hudsonia Ltd are hosting a field workshop to explore forests and how land-use and conservation planning can help to protect these important ecosystems. The workshop will discuss:
forest ecosystem services, such as clean water and temperature moderation;
wildlife use of forests;
different forest types;
threats to forests; and
conservation principles.
The discussion drew on the Forest Condition Index (FCI), a regional data set published by the New York Natural Heritage Program, DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, and Cornell University. The FCI can be used to understand the values of individual forests within a regional context and to set priorities for conservation and land-use planning efforts.
The program was especially designed for individuals who serve as:
municipal officials (e.g., elected officials, planning board members, conservation advisory council members);
land trust staff, board members, or volunteers; and
others regularly engaged in land-use planning or policymaking (e.g., reviewing development proposals, advising landowners, making land management or regulatory decisions).
Priority registration was given to individuals who were engaged in municipal planning, conservation, or land stewardship and have less experience related to forests.