Franklin Regional Council of Governments Proposal:

Public Outreach and Forest Stewardship Plans for the Towns of Conway and Rowe in Franklin County, Massachusetts

RFQ #20200326

Pelham Lake

Rowe, Massachusetts (Photo: M. Wigmore)

Maynard Cemetery, Town Farm Property Conway, Massachusetts

(Photo: M. Wigmore)

Prepared by: Alex Barrett, Forestry Division Manager, Long View Forest, and

Mary Wigmore, MLF #250, Principal, Wigmore Forest Resource Management

Thursday, March 26, 2020

I. Narrative

I.1 Summary of the Contractors, the Contractors’ relevant knowledge and experience, and Designation of Lead Persons

Long View Forest will be the lead contractor and Wigmore Forest Resource Management (WFRM) will be the Subcontractor for this comprehensive public outreach and Forest Stewardship Planning effort. WFRM and Long View Forest have a well-established working relationship that is currently being leveraged to prepare 3 Forest Stewardship Plans for the City of Westfield, MA. Alex Barrett will be the project lead responsible for coordinating and leading fieldwork, Plan preparation, public outreach, stakeholder assessments, and analysis. He will be supported by Long View’s Forestry staff and mapping specialist. Long View Forest has a 4 person forestry staff that manages ~40,000 acres of mostly private forestland in Vermont and New Hampshire. We have expertise in municipal forestry and most importantly, in working closely with communities, municipal agencies, Conservation Commissions, and other stakeholders that we identify and invite into forest management decision processes and discussions. Mary Wigmore, principal of Wigmore Forest Resource Management (WFRM) and MLF# 250, will be the subcontractor. WFRM is a qualified M/WBE with over 39 years working in West Franklin County. Through this time, Mary amassed a wealth of forest management experience and community engagement. Mary’s primary responsibilities will include leading the public outreach and stakeholder assessment component of the project as well as co-leading the Plan preparation and fieldwork.

I.2 Understanding of the Project The Long View Forestry and Wigmore Forest Resource Management collaboration would present a unified forest stewardship philosophy based in the integration of owner advocacy, ecological forest management principals, and wise resource conservation. Ecological forestry is philosophy that perpetuates forest ecosystem integrity at a landscape spatial scale while continuing to provide wood products, timber income, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, recreational opportunities, and water quality protection. Ecological Forestry depends upon the continuity of the forest structure, function, and biotic communities before and after disturbances to the ecosystem. We are confident that our team can provide quality management plans that respect each community’s unique vision and love for their forested treasures. We view the community outreach component as interwoven with the contractor’s evaluation and discovery of each forest property as they prepare the management plan. Walking the hills, witnessing the unique eco-niches and refugia sites, and experiencing

the depth of nature within these resources informs one’s ability to articulate to the community a deeper sense of the ecological wealth on these lands. Experiencing the trail systems, and watching the songbirds return and the bloom of the flora allows us to understand the true value of your lands. Listening at the community forums to your constituents’ needs from the land and their vision for these forests will broaden our ability to capture the essence of these lands and augment our willingness and capacity to help each Town protect and conserve them in their own way. Although it is a two-phase project, we ask that you allow us to teach your community about these forest treasures, articulate your future vision, and guide you along a community-based road map for their enhancement.

I.3 Understanding of the Project - Piloting the Mohawk Trail Woodland Partnership

As one of the first steps in the incipient Mohawk Trail Woodlands Partnership, a successful integration of the outreach and resource assessment projects is necessary for the Towns to understand and fulfill their role in the creation of a sustainable model for the MTWP. Good data and wise planning provide each town with an ability to capitalize on the eco-tourism, recreational opportunities, and wood products income of their forests. Our inventory will provide a rudimentary basis for the assessment of the carbon stocks on the lands and the forests’ ability to store more CO2 in the future.

II. Business Information

Long View Forest is an integrated forest management company with expertise in forestry, forest contracting, woodland services and invasive plant control. Long View has been in business for 21 years. Currently, we have a forestry staff of 4 with licenses in Vermont and New Hampshire and Certification in Connecticut. Our Contracting staff of 15 works for private, municipal, State, and Federal clients in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Contracting Staff is Logger Certified in New Hampshire and Vermont and holds harvester licenses in Massachusetts. Our Woodland Services Team focuses on Timber Stand Improvement, Trail Building and Maintenance, and Invasive Plant Control work and is licensed in Vermont and New Hampshire. Long View Forest’s Forestry Division has annual revenues of ~$230,000. Mary Wigmore is the owner Forest Resource Management (WFRM), which she started in 1994 after 15 years as a regional forester with the New England Forestry Foundation. Mary has competency in the full range of forest resource stewardship inclusive of management plan preparation, timber harvest administration and supervision, community outreach, with a special interest in municipal forest and watershed

management. In her Watershed Forest Manager role she has inventoried and drafted management plans on over 20,000 acres of municipal lands. Mary was privileged to participate in the Tri-City Carbon Program with the City’s of Westfield, West Springfield, and Holyoke, Massachusetts. She was the liaison between the three cities with the task of the communication of the forest’s role as a carbon sink and the development of a viable forest management strategy for maximum carbon accumulation. This work allowed her to research the most recent peer-reviewed literature on forests and their use in climate adaptation. Mary’s sole proprietor business mandates that she develop excellent collaboration skills in her work with numerous stakeholders and other foresters. One of her many strengths is the application and execution of municipal grant funding for a whole host of stewardship activities on public land inclusive of invasive species control, trail development and construction, and public field tours on active forestry sites. Wigmore Forest Resource Management had annual revenues in 2019 of $76,000.

III. Qualifications

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Role Forester Title Licensure Education Public Service

Project Lead Alex Barrett

Forestry Division Manager

VT, NH, Certification in CT

Master of Forestry, Yale School of Forestry

Elected Vice-chair, Forest Stewards Guild, Membership and Policy Council Elected Treasurer and Tax Collector, Village of Saxtons River, VT Board of Directors, Saxtons River Montessori School

Fieldwork and Plan Preparation Co-Lead

Andrew Sheere

Senior Forester VT and NH BS, Forest Utilization, University of Maine

Private Lands Advisory Council, Vermont Current Use Program Lieutenant, Chester Volunteer Fire Department

GIS Mapping and Fieldwork

Tyler Dallas

Forester and GIS Specialist

VT BS, Ecological Forest Management, Paul Smith’s College

None yet

Fieldwork Dan Healey

Forester VT University of Maine- Coursework

Board of Trustees, Windham Regional Woodlands Association

Fieldwork Long View Staff

Varied NA 2 and 4 year forestry degrees from University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, SUNY-ESF, and Paul Smith’s College -these are members of Long View’s contracting staff who have field experience and can provide surge capacity for fieldwork when needed

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Project Lead-Public Outreach Fieldwork and Plan Preparation Co-Lead

Mary Wigmore

Principal MA #250 BS Forest Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Past member Ashfield Conservation Commission Member Massachusetts Forest Alliance

IV. Work Plan and Schedule

Date Activity

April 20 Initial Meeting with Conway Selectboard -Identify overarching goals and forest stewardship philosophy -Clarify draft workplan and get input on Town-specific considerations -Present initial maps and solicit input on important features -Review past forest management and current forest recreation infrastructure

April 23 Initial Meeting with Rowe Selectboard -Identify overarching goals and forest stewardship philosophy -Clarify draft workplan and get input on Town-specific considerations -Present initial maps and solicit input on important features -Review past forest management and current forest recreation infrastructure

April 24 Draft forest resource maps Draft community resource map Draft potential stakeholder mindmaps and begin stakeholder analysis

April 27 Begin Fieldwork -Gather forest, natural community, wildlife, and plant information via a systematized, scale- and Town values- appropriate sampling protocol

April 29 Initial Public Outreach and Community Listening for Rowe -Based on Selectboard input, make available online and Town Hall-posted materials with 2 week input solicitation period -develop distribution list and input channels for stakeholders via email, social media, newspapers, and mail -Develop working relationships with important Stakeholder groups including Conservation Commission, Park Commission, Planning Board and MTWP Board.

April 30 Initial Public Outreach and Community Listening for Conway -Based on Selectboard input, make available online and Town Hall-posted materials with 2 week input solicitation period -develop distribution list and input channels for stakeholders via email, social media, newspapers, and mail

-Develop working relationships with important Stakeholder groups including Conservation Commission, Open Space Committee, Planning Board, Conway Grammar School, and MTWP Board.

April 4-8 Provide written content and/or Zoom-based meetings to Selectboards at their regular bi-weekly meetings or in an ad hoc fashion Goal: Update on 1st Public Outreach and Fieldwork Progress

May 12 Initial Town Hall Meeting or webinar: Rowe -Based on community input and survey results, begin to synthesize and prioritize stakeholder goals as we develop a Town-wide vision for a coherent and actionable forest stewardship philosophy and plan -Begin to identify areas of alignment between community goals and the biophysical realities and possibilities that the Town Forests present

May 13 Initial Town Hall Meeting or webinar: Conway -Based on community input and survey results, begin to synthesize and prioritize stakeholder goals as we develop a Town-wide vision for a coherent and actionable forest stewardship philosophy and plan -Begin to identify areas of alignment between community goals and the biophysical realities and possibilities that the Town Forests present

May 14 Second Public Outreach Period: Rowe -Use distribution list to build stakeholder input, catalog and refine management goals -Based on Town Hall Meeting, begin to get input on increasingly refined stewardship goals

May 15 Second Public Outreach: Conway -Use distribution list to build stakeholder input, catalog and refine management goals -Based on Town Hall Meeting, begin to get input on increasingly refined stewardship goals

May 19 Meeting with Mohawk Trail Woodland Partnership

May 20-22 Potential meetings with additional stakeholder groups or special interest groups that are identified during the Outreach Periods

May 22 Finalize field work

May 26 First Draft of Forest Stewardship Plans emailed to Selectboards -paper copies available as well

June 1 Second Meeting with Conway Selectboard -Synthesize results of public outreach efforts and present draft stewardship recommendations

June 4 Second Meeting with Rowe Selectboard -Synthesize results of public outreach efforts and present draft stewardship recommendations

June 11 Second Town Hall Meeting or Webinar: Rowe -Present draft Forest Stewardship Plans and solicit stakeholder inputs -Continue to shape and refine community’s philosophy and approach to forest stewardship

June 12 Second Town Hall Meeting or Webinar: Conway -Present draft Forest Stewardship Plans and solicit stakeholder inputs -Continue to shape and refine community’s philosophy and approach to forest stewardship

June 15-19 Finalize Forest Stewardship Plans and incorporate community input

June 26 Forest Stewardship Plans, Data, and key documents Delivered to Towns

Introduction to Project, Contractors, and

Select Vision. Derive Town Elders' goals, concerns,

Persons and expectations for the stewardship of these

Meeting

Pre-Community Forum: Distribution of #1

awareness of the resource, and vision

for their forested treasures.

Articles in local newspapers and newsletters

and Project Page on Towns' Websites

Public

Forum

#1

feedback, sharing community-wide of survey results, and drafting of initial management plan with Town's

Presentation of inventory analysis, site mappings,

Select first draft forest management plan, and delivery

Persons

Meeting

#2

Public

Forum

#2

Deliver Forest Stewardship Plans, Maps, and all

underlying mapping and inventory data to Towns for

ongoing use and development. Deliver survey results and

analyses. Facilitate community forest relationship

transitons if and as needed.

Submit

Projects

TIME AND TASK FLOW FOR THE OUTREACH DELIVERABLES FOR THE CONWAY AND ROWE PROJECT

potential, and feasibility of original survey results

& stewarship visions. Opportunity to give a voice

First Community wide effort.

to the Towns' vision for their ecological and

Initial survey data analysis and commence assessment of the lands with community guidance

Public forum with presentation of resource

study, sampling data, images of property

attributes, potential refugia, climate adaptation

stewardship priorities, current

Concurrent with work with BOS

a community survey with questions about

lands. Define joint resources for community-wide

for the lands. Question and answer window for the

BOS before final draft preparation.

Collaboration with BOS on the stewardship activities

continual community engagement/communication to further develop the Towns' vision.

of Contractors' awareness of the communities' desires

outreach and methods for efficient communication.

Key Contractor Persons present at meeting.

vision for the stewardship of the resource. All survey data shared with BOS as ongoing process. Allowance for

cultural treasures

Contractor completion of inventory and mapping work, analysis and summary of community surveys, public forum

vision before the final draft completion.

on the lands based on the vision.

Public forum with presentation of main ideas of

the Stewardship Management Plan to the

community through a short synopsis replete with

images, texts, and maps. Opportunity to account

for the Contractors' encapsulation of the Towns'

V. Relevant Work Experience and References Long View Forest: Relevant work experience

• Forester, Town of Walpole, NH Conservation Commission

• Watershed Forester for Brattleboro, VT, Department of Public Works

• Forester, Retreat Farm, Brattleboro, VT https://www.retreatfarm.org/

• Multiple Vermont Town Forest Management Plans

• Alex Barrett, Forest Manager for 11,000 acres of the FSC-Certified Yale School Forests, 2012-2014

Long View Forest: References Steve Barrett*, Director of Public Works, Town of Brattleboro, VT Phone: 802-254-4255 Email: sbarrett@brattleboro.org *NB- not a relation of Alex Barrett

Alicia Flammia, Chair, Conservation Commission, Town of Walpole, NH Phone: 802-345-7879 Email: leesha@gmail.com Robert Bruce, Trustee, Pine Park Association, Hanover, NH Phone: 603-203-1354 Email: robertbruce4@mac.com Charlie Thompson, Forestland owner and client in Andover, VT and Pelham, MA Phone: 413-256-0336 Email: cthompson717@gmail.com Julie Messervy, Forestland owner and client in Westminster, VT Phone: 802-242-8200 Email: julie@jmmds.com

Wigmore Forest Resource Management: Relevant Work Experience

• Forest Products Silvilculture Project on the Conway Town Farm Property in 2009-2010.

• Tri-City Carbon Program developer and City Liaison for Carbon Credit registration and sale (2016-2020).

• Organizer for the City of West Springfield Department of Conservation and Recreation 2020 (Postponed to 2021).

• Municipal Watershed Inventory, Planning, and Outreach on over 20,000 acres.

• Currently delivering a public outreach campaign on the 1,500 acres Bearhole watershed in West Springfield, Massachusetts with the goals of the education of the community about the forest, its structure, its condition, and the City’s philosophy for its improvement.

Wigmore Forest Resource Management: References City of West Springfield Jeff Auer Water Systems Manager 26 Central Street West Springfield, MA 01089 jauer@west-springfield.ma.us 413-262-3230 office 413-204-3181 cell

City of Westfield Water Resources Division Heather Stayton 28 Sackett Street Westfield, MA 01085 h.stayton@cityofwestfield.org 413-572-6209

Town of South Deerfield Board of Water Commissioners 65 Sunderland Road South Deerfield, MA 01373 SDWSD@verizon.net 413-665-3540

John Lochhead P.O. Box 539 Conway, MA 01341 jacklochhead@comcast.net 413-369-4001

City of Holyoke Water Works Manager David Conti 20 Commercial Street Holyoke, MA 01040 ContiD@holyoke.org 413-535-6048

VI. Attachments VI.1a Long View Forest – Tax Compliance and Non-Collusion Statements

VI.1b WFRM – Tax Compliance and Non-Collusion Statements

VI.2a Long View Forest – Certificate of Non-Collusion

VI.2b WFRM – Certificate of Non-Collusion

VI.3a Long View Forest – W-9

VI.3b WFRM – W-9

VI.4a Long View Forest – Debarment and Suspension Statement

VI.4b WFRM – Debarment and Suspension Statement

VI.5a Long View Forest – Insurance Certificate

VII. Price Quote

The Office of the Attorney General, Washington, DC, requires the following information on all bid proposals

amounting to $1,000.00 or more:

03-0364189 Federal Tax ID Number (this number is regularly used by companies when filing their

“EMPLOYER’S FEDERAL TAX RETURN, U.S.” Treasury Department Form 941

*IF A CORPORATION, INCLUDE WITH YOUR BID A CORPORATE RESOLUTION LISTING ALL DULY AUTHORIZED

SIGNERS ON BEHALF OF THE CORPORATION AND CHECK HERE *IF A PARTNERSHIP, INCLUDE A LIST OF NAMES/ADDRESSES OF ALL PARTNERS AND CHECK HERE □

*IF A PROPRIETORSHIP, COMPLETELY FILL OUT INFORMATION ABOVE ONLY AND CHECK HERE □

VIII Long View Forest- Corporate Resolution Authorizing Signers