Northern Forest Institute to open in Adirondacks

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry plans to establish a new training institute for researchers and managers of northern forests based at century-old Masten House, a former corporate retreat in the central Adirondacks.

The Northern Forest Institute, on 46 acres of Open Space Conservancy land in Newcomb, will get $1.125 million in state grants to start. The Department of Environmental Conservation says it has committed $1.6 million over the next four years for research on visitor demand, experiences and effect on the woodlands. The center will also offer training for recreation managers in the state forest preserve.

The "northern forest" extends from Lake Ontario at Tug Hill, across the Adirondacks to northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

For more information on the proposed Northern Forest Institute, see:

• The strategic plan document at the Adirondack Ecological Center.
• Press release on the project by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.