More in Common Than We Think
Jun. 13, 2025
Attendees at NEFF’s 2025 Annual Meeting reflected on how listening, trust,…
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Last Tuesday, we here at New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF) made the most of a gray, damp day by hosting our 81st Annual Meeting Celebration, which brought together supporters, volunteers, partners, neighbors, Board members, and staff. Guests enjoyed a catered lunch, conversations with new friends and old, and a presentation from Ethan Brietling of the National Alliance of Forest Owners; the NEFF community also heard about our recent successes, and some of the changes that lie ahead for NEFF.
More than 75 guests braved the elements to join us at our beautiful Prouty Woods Community Forest headquarters for the event, which mostly took place under an immense, waterproof tent. This meant we all spent the afternoon only catching glimpses of the property’s vibrant greenery, blooming flowers, and magnificent trees, but thankfully, the celebration itself had plenty else to offer.
Flowers in bloom at NEFF’s 81st Annual Meeting, photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer
Board President Rick Weyerhaeuser kicked off the festivities by welcoming attendees to Prouty and then turned things over to Executive Director Ryan Owens for his very first Annual Meeting speech.
He provided an update about NEFF’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant, which awarded NEFF $30 million — later amended to $32 million — to pilot the deployment of climate-smart forestry across New England and grow markets for climate-smart forest products.
“The USDA officially terminated the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program as of April 22, while simultaneously announcing the creation of an alternative program — Advancing Markets for Producers — and encouraged us to apply, which we did only last week,” Ryan explained. “We were able to pivot to seize the Advancing Markets for Producers opportunity thanks to a masterful staff team, and so I want to thank Andi Colnes, Brian Milakovsky, Dan Hohl, Jen Shakun, Catrina Vear, and Maria Garcia for their incredible work.”
Ryan also shared that NEFF has conserved 1,356 acres of forestland since last year’s Annual Meeting, and been awarded a $4.3 million U.S. Forest Service grant to help protect Maine’s oldest forests and implement climate-smart forestry practices on nearby lands.
Awards Ceremony
Rick began the awards ceremony by presenting Board member Bob Ackerman with the Outstanding Service award, which “recognizes staff and Board of Directors members who have made exceptional contributions to the work of New England Forestry Foundation. Recipients have provided expert guidance and counsel that has helped shape the organization’s strategic direction, and have been involved in key projects and programs.”
NEFF Board member Bob Ackerman with his Outstanding Service award and NEFF Board President Rick Weyerhaeuser, photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer
Ryan then presented the first of two staff Outstanding Service awards to NEFF Director of Finance & Administration Maria Garcia, who has worked at NEFF for 22 years. NEFF Deputy Director and Climate Fellow Andi Colnes presented the second to NEFF Bioeconomy Initiative Director Jen Shakun.
NEFF Executive Director Ryan Owens presented an Outstanding Service award to NEFF Director of Finance & Administration Maria Garcia, photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer
Next, NEFF Stewardship Manager Beth Gula and NEFF Director of Outreach & Engagement Lisa Hayden presented Laura Wimmer with the Forest Steward Award for her faithful volunteer service at Bennie Eaton Hill Family Forest, a 107-acre NEFF property in southeast New Hampshire.
Laura Wimmer (left) with her Forest Steward Award and NEFF Stewardship Manager Beth Gula, photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer
To close out the awards ceremony, Ryan presented the Forest Champion Award to Timothy Ingraham; the award recognizes exemplary efforts in forest conservation and sustainable management. Tim has supported NEFF’s work since 1977, and was a member of the NEFF Board from 1995 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2015. He served as Board President for 11 years, and also served on many committees, including the Leadership Committee for the Downeast Lakes Forestry Partnership project, which helped raise the funds to conserve nearly 340,000 acres.
NEFF Executive Director Ryan Owens presented the Forest Champion Award to Timothy Ingraham, photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer
Guest Speaker
After the awards ceremony, we heard from Ethan Brietling, Vice President for Strategic Communications at the National Alliance of Forest Owners, who specializes in communicating complex scientific and policy concepts to diverse audiences. His presentation was titled, “Modern Forestry Advocacy: Navigating Science and Feelings” — and he made clear that both science and feelings are important in this context.
“While we all have deep emotional connections to forests, we must remain guided by science. The feelings aren’t inherently wrong. They give us context for what’s important. The science tells us how to act on what’s important.”
Turn to companion blog post “More in Common Than We Think” from NEFF Marketing Manager David Ayers for an in-depth look at Brietling’s thinking and how it relates to NEFF’s work.
Wrapping Up a Rewarding Afternoon
After guests applauded Brietling’s engaging presentation and polished off the last of the desserts, there was still time for a few more conversations, this time held out under the trees — the rain had let up! The afternoon drew to a close as attendees laughed and chatted about what’s next for NEFF.
The NEFF community includes many more people than those who were able to attend this year’s Annual Meeting. To our friends, scattered across the region, nation, and globe: you were in our thoughts, and we thank you for your support, whatever form it takes.
