The 20th Anniversary of the Randolph Community Forest

The theme of this year’s Forest Day will be twofold. We celebrate and recognize the existential contributions made by the late Forest Commission chairman, John Scarinza, while at the same time we observe the milestone signified by the start of our Third Stewardship Plan and reflect upon the meaning of the Forest to the Town and the larger community.

             2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Randolph Community Forest and, with it, the need for a new Stewardship Plan. Sadly, John Scarinza, the chairman of the Forest Commission since its inception, did not live to participate in the preparation of the new Plan, but it will be built around many of the policies and practices he pioneered or helped to introduce.   

   The day will begin, as usual, with a discussion in the Town Hall starting at 9:00 am. The Randolph Forest Commission and its LandVest partners will present a report to the community of the activities carried out on the Forest during the past year and of the major events proposed for 2023-2024. Then discussion will turn to the Initiation of the Third Stewardship Plan. We will take stock of how well the Community Forest has met the aspirations for it at outset.  We will also share a brief review of the history of the Pond of Safety (early Community Forest) project.

  Following, will be an open discussion to share our reflections on what our Community Forest means to us. We will invite community members to briefly comment on what the Community Forest has meant to them over the last 20 years and what they look forward to in the future.

Finally, we will briefly discuss what is involved in preparing our third Stewardship Plan.

After our discussion at the Town Hall, the commission hopes to include a field day to view the bridge project up near the Pond of Safety and some sites which might illustrate proposed activities for the 3rd Stewardship Plan.  Details will be determined at a later date.

All are welcome. People can come to the presentation at the Town Hall and skip the tour. People can come to the Town Hall late and join the tour. Dogs and young children should be accompanied by an adult who will be responsible for them. If attending the Field Trip, please bring a trail lunch and water, wear shoes appropriate for light hiking and remember to bring your bug repellent.