Community Forest Monitoring Report

NEW ENGLAND FORESTRY FOUNDATION Community Forest Monitoring Report

This annual monitoring report (due by December 31 each year) acts as a summary of the year’s activities, observations, issues, and notes. These reports are very helpful as a written record of issues at our forests, and while not every issue can be addressed immediately, they are reviewed carefully by the Forest Director. It is very important to gather a report from each volunteer, so that NEFF can stay connected to each of our forests. If you would like to elaborate on any answer, please feel free to use an extra sheet of paper (if handwritten), or to take up as much space as necessary (typewritten). There is no specific word count required, but the more specific you can be in terms of issues and locations, the more helpful the information becomes. Your time on these reports is very much appreciated. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Name: Date:

Phone number: Email:

NEFF Forest:

Location:

Did you –

o Walk trails?

o Walk boundaries?

o Walk the interior?

o Check entrance? Forest sign? Road frontage?

o Check any gates on the property?

Approximately how much time did you spend at the forest this year (please use hours log template to help estimate your time)? An estimate of your time at the forest helps us gauge how much time our volunteers donate on NEFF’s behalf, which is a very important part of grant proposals and reporting. What primary activities did you undertake during most of your visits this year?

General Property Surveillance

During your monitoring activities, did you observe:

1. Any native, Threatened, or Endangered wildlife species that you would like to note? If so, please describe where on the property the animals were located and any observations about them that you would like to share.

2. Any native, Threatened or Endangered plant species that you would like to note?

3. Any invasive/non-native wildlife, plant or invertebrate, or any evidence of pathogens, that you would like to note? If so, please indicate where on the property they have been observed.

4. Any evidence of weather-related events (i.e. windstorms, ice storms, flooding, etc)?

5. Any evidence of misuse, vandalism, or human-caused alterations? (i.e. dumping, timber trespass, boundary encroachment, damaging tree stands, parties, fires, structures, etc) If so, please describe (i.e. location, severity, regularity, etc are helpful).

6. Any issues with motorized recreation? If so, where are the primary issues located? Where do you believe vehicles are gaining access to the property? Trails

1. If there are trails on the property, are they in good working order? Have they experienced any issues with erosion, overuse, washouts, treefall, etc.? If so, please describe.

2. Have you observed recreationists on the trail? If so, how often and what kind of recreation do you observe (i.e. hikers, runners, dog-walkers, snowshoers, mountain bikers, hunters, etc).

3. Are there any maintenance or blazing issues that you are unable to handle alone? If so, please describe.

Community

1. Have there been any activities, proposals, or other “buzz” in your town relating to conservation, forestry, or wildlife that you think NEFF should know? If so, please describe.

2. Are there other organizations in your town with whom we might cooperate or collaborate on programming? If so, who would you recommend? 3. Do you have any ideas relative to how NEFF may better engage your community in its mission, philosophy, and ultimately, engage them more effectively with our organization?

4. Do you have friends or neighbors who may be interested in becoming a volunteer or speaking to NEFF about their land? If so, please feel free to leave us their contact information here and we will be in touch.

1. Did you undertake any special activities this year about which you would like to update us?

2. Are there any issues that you think require follow-up by staff? If so, please describe.

3. Do you have any other comments, issues, ideas, etc. not covered above? If so, please describe. Thank you for all of your help in keeping us connected to our forests and the local community!