{"id":65372,"date":"2026-08-17T12:08:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T16:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebeatnews.org\/BeatTeam\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=65372"},"modified":"2026-08-17T14:07:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T18:07:05","slug":"forest-fires-in-massachusetts","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/www.thebeatnews.org\/BeatTeam\/event\/forest-fires-in-massachusetts\/","title":{"rendered":"Forest Fires in Massachusetts: Myths and Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Photo credit:\u00a0MassWildlife, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and Recreation,\u00a0monitors a prescribed fire in the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area on Tuesday.\u00a0Credit: PAUL FRANZ \/ Staff Photo Greenfield Recorder \u00a0 June 16, 2026<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

Wildfires in the Western United States and Canada are more and more prominent in the news. There is also growing interest in the role of wildfires and intentional fires (\u201cprescribed\u201d burning) in New England.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"In Massachusetts, public agencies are increasingly using prescribed burning in state forests and wildlife management areas, such as the Montague Plains and Muddy Brook wildlife management areas, and Myles Standish State Forest.<\/p>\n

Our speakers are experts on these issues and will discuss important questions:<\/p>\n

\u2022 What is the goal of prescribed burning and where is it happening?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does prescribed burning help with wildlife habitat restoration?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does prescribed burning help to prevent or mitigate forest fires?<\/p>\n

\u2022 What is the risk of wildfires in Massachusetts?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Presenters:<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Foster<\/strong>\u00a0is director emeritus of the Harvard Forest and its Long Term Ecological Research program and currently coordinates\u00a0Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities<\/a>\u00a0and serves on the editorial board of\u00a0From the Ground Up<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0David\u2019s research and conservation focus began with his PhD studies on fire history and ecology of the Labrador wilderness but has increasingly focused on the role of natural and anthropogenic forces, including fire, that have shaped the New England landscape over past millennia. He is an author most recently of \u201cMeeting of Land and Sea: Nature and the Future of Martha\u2019s Vineyard,\u201d and \u201cWildlands of New England: Past Present and Future.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Kellett<\/strong>\u00a0has worked for 40 years to create national parks, save forests, and protect wildlife. He is co-founder and executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods, a New England-based nonprofit organization. He was the lead author of the paper, “Forest-clearing to create early-successional habitats: Questionable benefits, significant costs<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Bill Stubblefield<\/strong>\u00a0has a lifelong passion for natural history and holds a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. He currently devotes his time to activism on behalf of all lifeforms on Planet Earth.<\/p>\n

George Wuerthner<\/strong>\u00a0is an ecologist and photographer who has visited more than 400 designated wilderness areas and more than 200 National Park System units. For a dozen years, he worked as Ecological Projects Director for Doug Tompkins\u2019s Foundation for Deep Ecology and is now Executive Director of Public Lands Media. He has published 38 books, including \u201cWildfire<\/a>: A Century of Failed Forest Policy,\u201d \u201cProtecting the Wild<\/a>: Parks and Wilderness Foundation for Conservation,\u201d and \u201cKeeping the Wild<\/a>: Against the Domestication of the Earth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

DATE:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday, September 12<\/p>\n

TIME: <\/strong>11:00 AM to 1:00 PM \u2014 Presentations and panel discussion in person and on Zoom. Please register to attend in person.
\n1:30 PM to 2:30 PM\u2014 Walking tour of the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area<\/p>\n

LOCATION:\u00a0<\/strong> The National Spiritual Alliance, 2 Montague Avenue, Lake Pleasant, MA 01347<\/p>\n

RSVP:<\/strong>\u00a0jasinclair@verizon.net<\/a><\/p>\n

REGISTER: <\/strong>Zoom<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please park near the intersection of Old Northfield Road and Lake Pleasant Road if possible.<\/p>\n

Light snacks and beverages provided.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SPONSORED BY:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Climate Democracy Project, Community Land and Water Coalition, Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Northeast Wilderness Trust, Partnership for Policy Integrity, Protect the Montague Plains, RESTORE: The North Woods, Save Massachusetts Forests, Sierra Club Massachusetts, Standing Trees, Wendell State Forest Alliance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo credit:\u00a0MassWildlife, in cooperation with the Department of Conservation and Recreation,\u00a0monitors a prescribed fire in the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area on Tuesday.\u00a0Credit: PAUL FRANZ \/ Staff Photo Greenfield Recorder \u00a0 June 16, 2026 Wildfires in the Western United States…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":65373,"template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","_tribe_events_is_hybrid":"","_tribe_events_is_virtual":"","_tribe_events_virtual_video_source":"","_tribe_events_virtual_embed_video":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button_text":"","_tribe_events_virtual_linked_button":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_at":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_embed_to":[],"_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_event":"","_tribe_events_virtual_show_on_views":"","_tribe_events_virtual_url":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[717,862,144,848,113,977,134,1220,851],"tribe_events_cat":[82,222,243,80,502],"class_list":["post-65372","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-educational-walk","tag-fire","tag-forest-walk","tag-free-event","tag-online","tag-presentation","tag-walk","tag-wildfires","tag-zoom","tribe_events_cat-beat-events","tribe_events_cat-biodiversity","tribe_events_cat-skills","tribe_events_cat-trees","tribe_events_cat-walks","cat_beat-events","cat_biodiversity","cat_skills","cat_trees","cat_walks","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nForest Fires in Massachusetts: Myths and Reality - 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