The mission of Great Mountain Forest is to be a leader in forest stewardship. We practice sustainable forest management, promote biodiversity and resilience to climate change, support education and research, and welcome all who love the woods.

Celebrating 75 Years of Interns

The 2023 GMF intern program is in full swing under the direction of Matt Gallagher, Director of Programs and Operations. Matt has been exposing the three interns to sustainable forest stewardship management, such as taking inventory of forest stands in compartments throughout the forest, grading trees for harvest, and identifying and prescribing best silvicultural practices. The curriculum includes daily responsibilities, large-scale projects, and educational off-site visits.

This year marks the 75^th year of the GMF intern program. To commemorate the anniversary, Ted Perotti of Pig Iron Films is creating a documentary video, filming the current interns at work and interviewing former interns – details to come on the distribution of the video.   

Jackson

My name is Jackson Skog and I will be starting my third year at University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources in the fall. I learned about Great Mountain Forest’s internship program through my university and thought it would be a great opportunity to put to work a lot of the skills I have learned in the classroom. So far, it has been an incredibly enriching summer and I have

learned a great deal from Matt, Jody, and Russell, as well as my fellow interns. My experience

at GMF has made me more confident in my skills in working with natural resources and I hope

to have a career where I have the privilege of working outside as much as I can.

Nick

My name is Nicholas Siciliano. I am currently living with my wonderful family in our beautiful home in Schenectady County, New York. I graduated from SUNY-ESF Ranger School two years ago obtaining an applied associates in Forest Technology. I am attending the main campus of SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, New York and majoring in Natural Resources Management.

I found out about Great Mountain Forest from my fellow colleague and best friend, Ryan Clarke, who attended Ranger School with me and was a prior Great Mountain Forest forestry intern. I worked for the Department of Environmental Conservation the previous year performing trail maintenance, but I was interested in the forestry management side of environmental work. My favorite project has been timber cruising as I always enjoy a walk in the woods and looking at amazing trees. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working and living at Great Mountain Forest this summer.

Joey

 Charcoal Pile Construction

This spring, Housatonic Heritage provided a grant to Great Mountain Forest to construct a replica of a 19^th century charcoal pile, which the interns have been building this past month. Charcoal piles were constructed out of wood and smoldered until charcoal was formed. The local iron industry used charcoal for fuel made from the forest that is now GMF, and interpretive signage will educate visitors when it is finished. A ribbon-cutting event is scheduled for the fall.

Weather...or not

GMF is a reporting station for the National Weather Service; any news outlet's “staff meteorologist” uses data collected and submitted daily by Russell Russ. His monthly weather summaries and various weather facts and figures are available on our website. Click on the link below to visit our weather page!

Forest Notices

Welcome to the forest!

GMF is a place of peaceful co-existence for everyone

• Keep your dog on a leash and if you pack it in--pack it out.

• Be bear and tick aware when hiking.

• Sign in at kiosks at the East and West Gates.

• Watch for inclement weather notices on social media and website.

• Download the GMF recreational trail map and descriptions from our website www.greatmountainforest.org



• If you have any questions, email info@greatmountainforest.org

Connect with us