Northeastern Old Growth Conference

Northeastern Old Growth Conference Wildlands and Old-Growth Forests: A Vision for the Future
🌲 Register Now for NEOGC 2025, Sept 17-20 @ Middlebury College Bread Loaf Campus!

The mission of the Northeastern Old Growth Conference is to foster a unified vision for the conservation of old-growth forests through knowledge-sharing, conversation, and in-the-woods experience. The 2025 conference will be held on September 17-20 at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf Campus. Registration is now open and spaces are limited!

🌟 As the 2025 Northeastern Old Growth Conference comes to a close, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to all who joine...
09/20/2025

🌟 As the 2025 Northeastern Old Growth Conference comes to a close, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to all who joined us—in person and virtually.

Your presence, your knowledge, and your passion have made this gathering a powerful step forward in envisioning a future for wildlands and old-growth forests.

Until we meet again—let’s keep the conversation going, the collaborations strong, and the forests thriving. 🌲💚

Kristin DeBoer shares the journey to Wildlands conservation. She thought bigger, inspired by the integrated approach...
09/19/2025

Kristin DeBoer shares the journey to Wildlands conservation. She thought bigger, inspired by the integrated approach of Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities. This both-and vision became central to their strategic plan.

“Parks and trails are a sneaky way to do conservation.”


Vermont Representative Amy Sheldon reminds us that humans are inextricably linked to the ecosystems upon which we depend...
09/19/2025

Vermont Representative Amy Sheldon reminds us that humans are inextricably linked to the ecosystems upon which we depend. We are the human animal. This relationship can be the problem and the solution.

She challenges us all to rethink the idea that individual action doesn’t matter.

She advocates for nature-based policies with mutually beneficial outcomes - encouraging us all to practice Democracy, bring Science to Committee, and value different strengths and perspectives.

In this Young Voices on Old Growth panel we hear the strong desire for more multi-generational discussions. They share ...
09/19/2025

In this Young Voices on Old Growth panel we hear the strong desire for more multi-generational discussions. They share that their generation doesn’t know a time where there wasn’t existential crisis. They feel pressure to find solutions to problems that didn’t start with them. They ask to be included in more conversations for shared learning and problem-solving.

Nohham Cachat-Schilling uses this map to illustrate the lived values of locality and treading lightly. Nohham Cachat-Sc...
09/19/2025

Nohham Cachat-Schilling uses this map to illustrate the lived values of locality and treading lightly.

Nohham Cachat-Schilling (Kanienke’ha:ka-Nashaue) is a traditional medicine person, Co-Principal Investigator and Project Coordinator for The Mahikaniituk Project, Chair of Massachusetts Ethical Archaeology Society, and Researcher for Oso:ah Foundation.

🌳 Day Three brings even more inspiration!Today’s schedule features presentations, panels, and poster sessions, plus conv...
09/19/2025

🌳 Day Three brings even more inspiration!

Today’s schedule features presentations, panels, and poster sessions, plus conversations that bridge science, culture, and conservation practice. Attendees are connecting across disciplines, building momentum for the protection of old-growth forests throughout the Northeast.

Every voice here adds to the vision of healthy forests and healthy communities.

📅 Northeastern Old Growth Conference – Sept 17–20
đź“Ť Ripton, Vermont

Leslie Jonas encourages 2-eyed knowing—Indigenous and Western. She reminds us that forests and trees are wise elders—the...
09/18/2025

Leslie Jonas encourages 2-eyed knowing—Indigenous and Western. She reminds us that forests and trees are wise elders—they teach us—they give us gifts. She encourages us to think about reciprocal relationships with the Earth and to “bring the littles along.”

She asks, what if love and gratitude are the currency?

Jonas is a native Cape Codder and Elder Eel Clan member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. She is an experienced planning and development strategist with a demonstrated history of working in media, higher education, tribal governments, and non-profits. In almost every role she has served, her work has centered on environmental activism, Indigenous land and water conservation, climate change adaptation, cultural preservation of lifeways, and environmental justice.

🌿 Day Two is underway at the Northeastern Old Growth Conference!From keynote speakers and plenary discussions to concurr...
09/18/2025

🌿 Day Two is underway at the Northeastern Old Growth Conference!

From keynote speakers and plenary discussions to concurrent sessions on ecology, policy, and culture, today is filled with opportunities to learn and exchange ideas. And don’t miss the fun beyond the sessions:

🔥 Evening bonfires
🎨 Art and poetry inspired by nature
đź“š Our pop-up bookstore

It’s a true celebration of both science and community.

We are so grateful to for opening up the beautiful Bread Loaf campus for this year’s conference! What a truly special p...
09/17/2025

We are so grateful to for opening up the beautiful Bread Loaf campus for this year’s conference! What a truly special place for conversations about old-growth forests.

The Bread Loaf lands, encompassing approximately 2,100 acres of forest and field, is conserved in perpetuity by a conservation easement donated to the Vermont Land Trust (VLT). A conservation easement is a primary tool of private lands conservation in the United States.

🌲✨ Welcome to the 2025 Northeastern Old Growth Conference!We’re thrilled to gather with scientists, conservationists, po...
09/17/2025

🌲✨ Welcome to the 2025 Northeastern Old Growth Conference!

We’re thrilled to gather with scientists, conservationists, policy makers, artists, writers, and forest lovers here at the Bread Loaf Campus, Middlebury College.

Today kicks off with check-in, workshops, and our first plenary sessions, setting the tone for four inspiring days of connection, discovery, and visioning for the future of wildlands and old-growth forests.

đź“Ť Ripton, Vermont
📅 September 17–20, 2025

🌲 Session Spotlight: Characterization of Old-Growth Forests in PennsylvaniaAlthough Pennsylvania is home to nearly 17 mi...
09/16/2025

🌲 Session Spotlight: Characterization of Old-Growth Forests in Pennsylvania

Although Pennsylvania is home to nearly 17 million acres of forest, less than 1% qualifies as old-growth. What does that really mean for the state’s ecological legacy?

Join Dr. Mary Ann Furedi of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program as she shares groundbreaking work to define, assess, and better understand Pennsylvania’s old-growth forests. Her research combines rapid assessment methods with in-depth inventories of plants, bryophytes, birds, invertebrates, and fungi—revealing how structure, diversity, and indicator species can help us characterize and protect these rare ecosystems.

This session highlights not only the forgotten history of Pennsylvania’s forests, but also offers a roadmap for how later-successional stands can be managed to promote old-growth conditions.

đź“… Northeastern Old Growth Forest Conference
September 17–20, 2025 · Ripton, VT
đź“Ť Bread Loaf Campus, Middlebury College (in-person & virtual)

https://www.uvm.edu/extension/northeastern-old-growth-forest-conference/conference-schedule

🌿 We are proud to recognize Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities (WWFC) as a Lead Organizer of the 2025 Northea...
09/16/2025

🌿 We are proud to recognize Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities (WWFC) as a Lead Organizer of the 2025 Northeastern Old Growth Forest Conference!

WWFC is a collaborative initiative that advances a bold regional vision: conserving New England’s forests and farmlands while strengthening communities across the region. By uniting science, policy, and local action, WWFC helps ensure that wildlands, working lands, and rural towns thrive together in the face of ecological and social change.

Their leadership and partnership help make this year’s conference possible, bringing together researchers, conservationists, policymakers, artists, and community members to imagine a future where old-growth forests and vibrant communities go hand in hand.

📅 September 17–20, 2025
📍 Bread Loaf Campus, Middlebury College – Ripton, VT

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452 College St
Middlebury, VT
05753

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