The Whole Forest: A Unified Path for New England’s Landscapes
May. 19, 2026
A guest blog from Yale School of the Environment students
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On May 29, NEFF staff attended Canopy 2025 at UMass Amherst alongside forest professionals, landowners, and students from across the region. Our team was there to learn, share ideas, and connect with others working to shape the future of forestry. It was a valuable opportunity to engage with the broader forestry community and explore the latest thinking on forest stewardship and wood use.
This year’s theme was Innovations in Practice, and one of the highlights of the day was a presentation from NEFF’s own Bioeconomy Initiative Director, Jen Shakun. Jen offered a dynamic overview of the innovations shaping the entire wood supply chain — from the forest to the construction site. Her talk made clear that forestry is evolving fast, and that sustainable, climate-smart wood use has a major role to play in building resilient communities, supporting local economies, and addressing climate change.
You can watch Jen’s full presentation and see how innovation is reshaping forestry across the region below.
We’re also excited to share a new video titled “Connected by the Land: Building a Sustainable Future Through Forestry,” produced by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation in partnership with NEFF, Mass Audubon, and the Mass Woodlands Institute.
If you have a story to tell about working in the woods, managing land, or using local wood in innovative ways, we’d love to hear it. Reach out to Jen Shakun at [email protected] to learn more about opportunities to contribute to future storytelling efforts.
