Catskill Forest Association

12/06/2025

We had a blast at our annual Wreath Making Workshop! Staff felled a few balsams this week and hand clipped all the branches for today’s gathering of family and friends. We had homemade hot cocoa and cookies too. Thanks to all who showed up and all who continue to support us.

Happy Holidays from the team here at CFA. 🎁

12/05/2025

Help Us Launch CFA’s Prescribed Burn Program!

Decades of fire-suppression have diminished our understanding of fire’s ecological value. While the South maintained a fire culture, states like New York lost much of this knowledge—even though fire once played a vital role in Northern forests, as seen in pyrogenic species like oak and chestnut.

It’s time to reintroduce fire—carefully and at small scales—so we
can rebuild this knowledge and restore fire as a valuable forestry tool to restore habitat, reduce invasive species, enhance biodiversity, maintain plant communities dependent on fire, and strengthen the health of our woods.

GIVE NOW and help us launch our NEW Prescribed Burn Program, which will focus on low-complexity, small-acreage burns—an essential first step as we rebuild capacity and fire expertise in our region.

Your donation will go directly toward:

1. Purchasing essential equipment—from hand tools and PPE to larger fire-suppression gear.

2. Securing expert guidance from veteran prescribed burners across the U.S. to help CFA build skills, protocols, and technical knowledge.

3. Obtaining specialized insurance required to conduct prescribed burning safely and responsibly.

Let’s bring back prescribed fire together!

Donate Now - https://catskillforest.org/donate/

06/24/2025

Alaskan Sawmill Demonstration ‘25 at the new office. Thanks to all who came!

12/20/2024

Join Us! The Rondout Neversink Stream Program is offering a guided winter tree identification workshop with the CFA’s very own Education Arborist Zane Lawyer leading.

Learn how to identify dormant trees by their unique twigs, buds, and bark. Participants will learn how to think about identifying trees in the winter, traits and features to look for, and how to ‘key out’ a twig using an example of a dichotomous key.’

The event will feature a leisurely walk through the forest. Participants should dress warmly in layers and wear sturdy, insulated boots suitable for snow or icy conditions. Bring water, snacks, and any additional winter gear, such as hats, gloves, and traction aids like microspikes, as needed.

Registration is required, the registration deadline is January 6th. This event is free and limited to 18 participants. Priority will be given to residents living within the Rondout Reservoir and Neversink Reservoir watersheds.

10/19/2024

On one of our recent radio shows, we featured founder & CEO of Bear Maple, Brian Bethke. He shared how the breathtaking Catskill Mountains inspired the creation of Bear Maple Farms, which produces a delicious sparkling ginseng and maple sap beverage.

In a show of support for the local community and love of the Catskills, Bear Maple Farms is contributing to the Catskill Forest Association's fund for our newly purchased headquarters. For the rest of October, they’ll donate $4 from every case sold on Amazon to this cause!

Please check out Bear Maple and support CFA by getting a case or two of their delicious beverages for yourself to enjoy! We extend our gratitude to Bear Maple for their generosity.

09/18/2024

We had a wonderful time learning about ginseng & ginseng cultivation with Anna Plattner of on Saturday at our Ginseng Cultivation Workshop! It's always a pleasure to work with this special plant.

Participants heard all about the history and botany of American ginseng, and then explored some of its habitat in the forest as well as viewing a successful 5-year-old wild-simulated ginseng plot, before getting their hands dirty to plant additional plots! Thanks to everyone for coming out.

09/11/2024

Did you know that the Catskill Mountains are home to wild-grown American ginseng? Due to its value, not just to humans but forest critters as well, ginseng is under unique pressure from wildlife browse and overharvesting. What better way to help conserve this special plant than to cultivate some yourself?

Join us this Saturday, September 14th for a Ginseng Cultivation Workshop with Anna Plattner and Justin Wexler from ! We will cover how to identify ginseng in the wild, explore ginseng's habitat and its companion plants, and learn how to plant, care for, and responsibly harvest this small but picky plant.

Participants will receive free educational materials as well as stratified ginseng seed to do some test plantings at home. Come out and get ready to grow your own - there are a few spots left!

09/04/2024

From the Forest - Week of September 2nd

09/03/2024

A legacy tree is a tree that's deemed important for its size, form, or location. Matching a tree to the right site is a small investment to ensure a living legacy for future generations.

This Saturday, September 7th, join ISA Certified Arborist Zane Lawyer as he discusses how to begin thinking about planting a legacy tree of your own. This includes matching the tree to the site, finding the right root depth, and minor pruning of the roots or crown. Support systems, how to protect your tree from wildlife, and simple maintenance during establishment will also be shown.

More details on our website. See you there!

08/29/2024

Check out this FREE event next Saturday September 7th at John Burroughs' Woodchuck Lodge in Roxbury where you can learn about raptors of the Catskills!

08/29/2024

New episode State Trees of the USA with Gary Mead--Part 7 is published

Every Third Wednesday we have Wood Artist, Gary Mead on the show to discuss a native tree, or something else forest-related. This month we'll again be discussing some of the official state trees of the US since we didn't finish last time around.

08/28/2024

From the Forest - Week of August 26th

The state boasts 18.6 million acres of forested land, much of it publicly owned or constitutionally protected. Though many states perform extensive controlled burns to mitigate the risk of wildfires, New York prohibits the practice in its two largest forested regions. One of them, the Catskill Park,...