About MassWoods

Welcome to MassWoods.net!  Our goal is to provide accurate information to woodland owners when they need to make two critical decisions:  1) the potential sale of timber and 2) planning for the future of the property.

Typically most landowners go about their day-to-day routines and passively enjoy their woods.  You don’t think about your home or care insurance on a daily basis, and your computer’s virus protection software “runs in the background” out of sight, out of mind.  Like other things in life, it is often not until a trigger forces a decision about the sale of timber or land that you need to make an informed decision. MassWoods.net was developed to help landowners at these critical decision making times.

MassWoods.net features an interactive map to direct landowners to local resources to help them with their decisions.  Service foresters, licensed foresters, local land trusts, statewide land trusts and conservation organizations are all listed for each town across the state.

Each month a new update will be posted aimed at delivering timely and relevant information about landowner decisions, issues, programs, opportunities and successes.

Although MassWoods targets landowners at decision making times, this site will also serve as the main portal for UMass Extension’s Forest Conservation Program.  Look for information on our programs and research including: Keystone, A CoOperative Resource Network (ACORN) and Cases of Conservation.  Licensed foresters will find links relevant to licensing and continuing education.  You can also access the Southern New England Stumpage Survey.  Landowners looking for information on forestry programs will also be able to find information and links. 

We also hope that MassWoods helps to create a network of informed landowners and community members (that’s why we named is MassWoods.NET) and that these networks can help guide other landowners to good resources and professionals. 

In addition, MassWoods encourages landowners to consider the role their properties plays in their landscape and communities as they make decision about their land.  Likewise, MassWoods encourages community members and municipal officials to value private woodland owners for the many public benefits they provide to the community.

The site is maintained and regularly updated by Paul Catanzaro, Forest Resources Specialist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. 

Contact Paul if you have any comments cat@umext.umass.edu or 413.545-4839.

Thank you for visiting!