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December 28. 2009 12:00AM<BR><BR><B><div class="headline">Public forums set on
state forest land</div><div class="subHeadline"></div><br/></B><b><div
class="articleByline"><b>By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF</b><br>
<A
HREF="MAILTO:[email protected]">[email protected]</A><br>
</div></b><B><b>WESTBORO</b> — </B> Continuing to involve the public
in planning the future of state forests, the state Department of Conservation
and Recreation will sponsor five public forums in February to discuss draft
recommendations on the stewardship and management of forest lands within the
state parks system.<br><br>The DCR began the Forest Futures Visioning Process
last spring to determine how best to manage the myriad public benefits and
values of forest land within the agency’s parks system. That includes
recreation, tourism, aesthetics, renewable forest products, habitat diversity,
landscape ecology and how to strike the appropriate balance among them. The
process has several components, including forming an advisory group of
stakeholders and the Technical Steering Committee, which includes academics,
practitioners and scientists; it is developing draft recommendations with input
from the public and the stakeholders.<br><br>“We are committed to having an
open, wide-ranging, public conversation about forests in Massachusetts,” said
DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “We had three public forums and forest
tours over the summer, and we look forward to the Technical Steering
Committee’s recommendations and hearing public comment.”<br><br>The Department
of Conservation and Recreation contracted with the Massachusetts Office of
Dispute Resolution & Public Collaboration at the University of Massachusetts in
Boston to develop a design for the public process. Among the forums in the
summer was one in Leominster that included a visit to the Crow Hill Wildlife
conservation area.<br><br>Among the upcoming public forums is one scheduled for
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 4, at the Westboro Public Library, 55 West Main St. The
snow date is Feb. 16.<br><br>The other forums are 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 6 at the
North Adams Public Library, 74 Church St., North Adams; 2 to 4 p.m. in Melville
Hall, Room 201, at Berkshire Community College, 1350 West St., Pittsfield; 5 to
7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Jones Library, 43 Amity St., Amherst; and 5 to 7 p.m. Feb.
11 at the Taunton Public Library, 12 Pleasant St., Taunton.<br><br>The
Technical Steering Committee is composed of 20 people who have expertise in the
issues, trends and best practices of forest conservation and ecology, invasive
species, landscape ecology, natural resource economics and law, recreation,
silviculture, social policy, aesthetics, watersheds and wildlife
habitat.<br><br>The draft recommendations will be posted soon on the Web site
of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, <a
href="http://www.mass.gov/dcr"; target="_blank">www.mass.gov/dcr</a>. The public
is encouraged to review the recommendations and comment on them by sending
e-mail to <a href="mailto:[email protected]";>[email protected]</a>. The
Technical Steering Committee is expected to make its final recommendations to
the state later in the winter.<br><br> <hr size=1 noshade><span
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