2025 Annual Meeting
Recent Events
Thursday June 12, 2025
Attended by 55 members, the Francestown Land Trust’s Annual Meeting got underway with a social reception followed by a brief business meeting and a speaker presentation. Our Keynote speaker, Sarah RobbGrieco, Northeast Regional Manager for the Old-Growth Forest Network, provided an animated power point talk, “Old-Growth Forests: Why they matter and how to protect them”.
Sarah described Old-Growth Forests as a network of trees in various stages of progression, a patchwork of craziness, a mosaic of oddly-shaped trees, haphazard roots, snags, course woody debris, nurse logs, and tip-ups. She explained that this “messiness” only happens when a forest is left alone for a long time with no logging. It’s a forest that’s complex, both above and below ground and many of the intricacies of this system are still being learned.
Old-Growth Forests matter because they increase biodiversity and abundance of species, have the capacity to store a huge amount of carbon which helps to cope with climate change, and provide peaceful havens for boosting human health, well-being and spirituality.
Sarah explained that the national based Old-Growth Forest Network is working to protect and promote these special places by registering one Old-Growth Forest or a mature second-growth forest meeting specific criteria, in each county in the U.S. She detailed the features needed for a forest to be registered and noted that New Hampshire currently has two Forests registered with the Old-Growth Network, one in Coos County and one in Carroll County. More are on the horizon!
After questions/answers with Sarah, audience members continued to socialize, making it a great evening for all.
About The Francestown Land trust
Mission and History
The mission of the Francestown Land Trust is to help preserve natural land areas significant to Francestown and to provide conservation opportunities and education for area residents.
History
Founded in 1986, the Francestown Land Trust (FLT) is dedicated to protecting critical natural land areas in Francestown, New Hampshire, and nearby environs. A registered 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, FLT can hold and monitor conservation easements, help negotiate land transfers, and, with public support, purchase sensitive properties.
Currently, the organization owns properties totaling 1,259 acres, including the Rand Brook Forest and Schott Brennan Falls Reserve. All land owned by FLT is open for public use. In addition, FLT holds conservation easements on 35 privately owned properties, helping to protect an additional 1,812 acres. With one Executory Interest, FLT helps to protect a total area of 3,096 acres.
membership and governance
Annual Membership dues help support the FLT mission. If you would like to join please click on the link below to sign up.
A grassroots organization, FLT’s all-volunteer structure consists of an eleven-member working Board of Directors and a network of active volunteers. Board members, current and past, have received the prestigious Gordon A. Russell Award, given annually by the Piscataquog Land Conservancy, for leadership and unusual achievements in conservation. Board members, current and past, have also been honored with the Tudor Richards Award from New Hampshire Audubon