TPL Community Forest Training Program - Now Live!

Beginning this March, Trust for Public Land is pleased to offer a new Community Forest Training Program, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, for eligible communities across the Eastern U.S.  

Please see below for more information about the program’s curriculum and eligibility requirements and see this document for further details! 

Program Overview

Community forests are protected forest lands that contribute to healthy, flourishing communities, and they can be powerful tools for helping to enact local visions as articulated by residents. These unique assets are land-based economic development tools that deliver positive outcomes to the residents, visitors, and businesses located in their service areas, including economic development opportunities through recreation, timber, and tourism; environmental benefits such as watershed protection, habitat conservation, and preserved biodiversity; and more.  

Trust for Public Land's free Community Forest Training Program will inform eligible communities across the U.S. about the benefits and possibilities of community forests; provide training and technical assistance that leverages TPL’s best practices to support successful acquisition, governance, and stewardship; and support the creation of community forests on the ground where available. 

This track will meet monthly over Zoom from March - July 2025. Registration for eligible communities is open now until March 5, 2025. Please click here to register. 

Eligibility

This track is the first of four regional offerings that will be provided to communities across the United States over the next two years. This first cohort is available to communities from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. 

·         Participants must represent one of the following organizational types: 

·         Local government entity 

·         Land trust 

·         Tribal entity 

·         Participants must be able to attend all five monthly meetings.  

If you have any questions about eligibility, please contact Sophie Neuhaus at sophie.neuhaus@tpl.org.