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Hull Forest Products is an industry leader in forest conservation and the Hull family land trust, Hull Forestlands L.P., has permanently protected over 12,000 acres of its prime southern New England forestland from development, helping to preserve the working forests that are the backbone of our region's rural character. The majority of these forests are certified to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards via Smartwood, a third-party green-certification program.
A Sampling of Our Forest Conservation Projects:
Hull Forestlands Helps Nature Conservancy Reach 50,000 Acre Mark in Connecticut
By conveying an easement on 450 acres of forestland it owns and manages in Union, CT, Hull Forestlands helped the Nature Conservancy reach its 50,000 acre mark of protected forests, rivers, and coastline across the state in 2009. The only private inholding within the 8,000 acre Yale University Forest, the Myers Pond Forest includes a 30-acre pond, old mill site, natural stone mortar used by the Nipmuck Indians, open fields, commanding views, and the private cemetery of Yale University Forest founder George Hewitt Myers. Read More
Learn the History of the Myers Pond Forest
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Hull Forests Earn FSC Certification
In June of 2002, 8,000 acres owned by Hull Forestlands L.P. were certified to FSC standards via the SmartWood program, a program of the Rainforest Alliance's sustainable forestry division. The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit conservation organization that certifies forestry and agricultural operations, ensuring that they meet rigorous standards for the conservation of natural resources and the rights and welfare of workers and local communities.
In order to obtain SmartWood certification, a forestry operation must undergo a third party audit of its forest management systems. A SmartWood assessment team composed of ecologists and forestry consultants analyzed Hull Forestland's data, conducted fieldwork, and submitted the Hull forestlands to extensive peer review. SmartWood determined that Hull Forestlands L.P. practices exemplary stewardship and produces timber in a sustainable manner. |
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Hull-Peck Working Forests Initiative
In 2000 Hull Forestlands participated in the largest private land protection project in the history of Massachusetts, partnering with public and private groups to permanently preserve over 8,000 acres of its working forestland. The innovative project was hailed by the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs as a "regional model for innovative conservation of natural resources. Read More |
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Westfield River Watershed Protection
Hull forests protect over nine miles of frontage along the federally protected wild and scenic Westfield River in western Massachusetts, helping to buffer and conserve this environmental resource. Hull Forestlands is a proud members of the Westfield River Watershed Association. |
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Massachusetts Old Growth Forest Protected
When Hull Forestlands purchased the Sears Meadow Forest in Ashfield, Massachusetts, in 2000, the property included a stand of very large eastern hemlock and white pine. Intrigued by the possibility that this could be old growth, Hull Forestlands invited eastern old growth forest expert Bob Leverett and Harvard University forest ecologist David Orwig to study the trees.
They determined that the trees offer a glimpse of the forests of North America prior to settlement by European colonists. The stand's longevity is especially remarkable as it is as convenient to access as any old growth in New England. Read more on the history of these trees. Over 200 years old, the trees stand up to 130 feet tall and are nearly 4 feet in diameter at breast height. They survived to the present day because each of the landowners connected with the property allowed the trees to continue their lifecycle without interruption. Today they stand as an example of the natural progression of the forest.
Hull Forestlands has placed the old growth area under conservation restriction with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Learn more |
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Lily Pond Sphagnum Moss Bog, Goshen
One of only a few such quaking bogs in the state of Massachusetts, Lily Pond in Goshen is an ecological treasure. In 2001 Hull Forestlands deeded the bog to the State Department of Environmental Management. |
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Hall Pond Forest, Granville and Tolland
Protected by a conservation restriction held by the Massachusetts Forest Landowners Association, this 800 acre forest of mixed hardwoods, white pine, and hemlock includes a 10 acre pond with its own heron rookery, and the property abuts additional conserved MDC land, forming a large green belt. |
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Peebles Brook Forest, Blandford
This 472 acre FSC-certified forest abuts additional conserved land owned by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, forming a large bioreserve. A beaver pond, old dwelling site, and Peebles Brook are among the significant features of this property. |
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Mica Mill Forest, Chester
A mountainous 900 acre landscape of FSC-certified working forestland, this property also offers frontage on and riparian protection for the Westfield River. |
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Knightville Dam Forest, Huntington
An integral part of the scenic viewshed from the overlook at Rt. 112 in Huntington, the Knightville Dam Forest is an FSC-certified working landscape and is home to all manner of plant and animal life, including the bloodroot photographed at right. |
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Contact the forestry department at Hull Forest Products for more information or call:
(800) 353-3331 main office (413) 862-3340 western Massachusetts office |
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