New Hampshire is home to a research site of international significance. Established in 1931 by the USDA Forest Service, the Bartlett Experimental Forest, is a 5,800-acre forest near Conway.
Unfortunately, the Forest Service has announced it plans to close the facilities at the Bartlett Experimental Forest. The closure is part of a massive restructuring of the Forest Service promulgated by the federal government’s quest to streamline agencies and cut costs. By the way, the annual budget for this institutional jewel is according to an official in Jeanne Shaheen’s office is “minimal.”
It’s not a done deal, yet — but the clock is ticking.
If you’re not a landowner, forester or someone else engaged in New Hampshire’s forest products industry, you might ask, “Why should I care?”
Here’s why. This research site is important to anyone who enjoys the intangible gifts that forests provide. These include seeing forests when you drive down the highway, walking your dog along a wooded path or snowmobiling on forest trails in the winter.
For more than 90 years, foresters, biologists and other resource managers have studied the forests, soils, water and wildlife at the property. These scientists also are studying the interconnections among forest productivity, forest health and multiple-use management. They strive to understand how recreational uses and wildlife impact the health of trees. In the world of forest management, this nearly 100 years of research on one forest provides a rare continuity.
Bartlett’s important research is not limited to studying how and where trees grow. It also hosts educational tours and workshops for private landowners, foresters, teachers, students and others. Participants see firsthand the results of a range of silviculture methods such as shelterwood harvests, patch cuts, single-tree selection and thinning.
At my woodlot, Woods Without Gile, we use forest management methods demonstrated to be effective in the Northeast through research at Bartlett. The Woods Without Gile was named the 2022 New Hampshire Tree Farm of the Year and the 2024 Northeast Regional Tree Farm of the Year — in part because we use methods proven at Bartlett.
Researchers at the Bartlett Experimental Forest take a holistic approach to their work in the forest. They also study carbon sequestration and carbon storage to soils, the impact of seed production on animal populations and much, much more. Other institutions that conduct research at Bartlett include State University of New York, National Ecological Observatory Network, AmeriFlux and the University of New Hampshire.
According to its website, the mission of the Forest Service is to “…sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.” It accomplishes this mission through several strategies including: “Research on all aspects of forestry, rangeland management, and forest resource utilization.” Closing Bartlett doesn’t jibe with either the Forest Service’s mission or strategy to accomplish that mission. The move to close Bartlett is part of the federal government’s egregious quest to marginalize all the national forests in the eastern United States.
Shuttering the Bartlett Experimental Forest would be an immeasurable loss to those of us practicing sustainable forestry in New Hampshire. But we’re not alone. This action will be deleterious for anyone who enjoys New Hampshire’s forests.
With 4.8 million forested acres, New Hampshire is the second-most forested state (by percentage of total acreage) in the U.S. Lumber production and related businesses is the third-largest manufacturing industry in New Hampshire. The loss of Bartlett, a valuable source of information to the landowners and others, will incur long-term economic ramifications. If the USDA has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the potential economic impact of closing the Bartlett Experimental Forest, that information is not readily available to the public. I searched.
The press release that announced the restructuring of the Forest Service alludes to shifting responsibility to the states. However, the federal government’s budget for FY 2027 does not allocate any funds for state or tribal forestry. Without funds, how can the shift occur?
If Bartlett is important to you, please contact senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and representatives Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander. USDA officials also should hear from you. They include Tom Schultz, forest service chief, tom.schultz@usda.gov; John Rothlisberger, Northern Research Station acting director, john.rothlisberger@usda.gov; Brooke Rollins, USDA secretary, brooke.rollins@usda.gov; and Mike Boren, USDA undersecretary, mike.boren@usda.gov. And finally, let Gov. Kelly Ayotte know you’re concerned at GovernorAyotte@governor.nh.gov.
Ann Davis of Wilmot owns and manages the Woods Without Gile, a 500 acre sustainably managed woodlot in Springfield and Wilmot. It was New Hampshire’s 2022 Outstanding Tree Farm of the Year and the 2024 Northeast Regional Tree Farm of the Year.