TA News

The Thetford Historical Society is gearing up for another exciting spring speaker series, which this year, will focus on Vermont’s abundant forests. The series, “Vermont’s Forests: Past, Present, and Future” features three local foresters who will share their perspectives on how Vermont’s forests shape our identity and landscape – and how we can best manage them sustainably for years to come.

Forester, digital creator, author Ethan Tapper will open the series at Thetford Academy on April 3rd at 7:00 p.m. with a deep dive into the history of Vermont’s forests, and how this history impacts how Vermonters manage our forests today. Tapper’s book, How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, was a finalist for the Vermont Book Awards in 2024.

Al Freeman, Climate Forester for Vermont Forests, Parks, and Recreation, is up next on April 10, this time at the New Suns Center (the former United Church of North Thetford). Freeman, who works to incorporate climate-smart strategies in state forest management planning, will share her expertise examining the past, present, and future of Vermont forests in the midst of a changing climate.

Finally, Thetford’s own local forester Donn Downey, will host a discussion on April 17 back at Thetford Academy’s Martha Jane Rich Theater. Downey, a consulting forester who manages public and private land across the Upper Valley, brings his expertise not only as a certified forester, but as a software developer whose product is used by private consultants, nonprofits such as the Nature Conservancy, state agencies, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The series, co-sponsored by the Thetford Conservation Commission and Latham Library, is free and open to the public.