Welcome to the Winter 2024 issue of From the Ground Up!

Stepping into this issue is like walking in the late winter woods -- silent one moment, filled with the singing of chickadees and the chatter of squirrels the next. The voices you’ll hear in this issue weave quiet wonder and reflection with bold stories of progress and urgent calls to action.

From the Ground Up is a place for lively conversations about conservation, climate, and communities. Conservation, in our vision, takes many forms and varieties, integrated in a holistic vision of a healthy and vibrant New England where all forms of life can thrive. This is a forum where writers with different perspectives can share their ideas and experiences, and in this issue we welcome those different points of view, especially on farming and forest conservation. 

In Farming in New England, the first installment in an upcoming series, we hear from Sister Anna Gilbert-Muhammad on urban community farming, Jamie Pottern on equitable access to farmland, and Caro Roszell on soil health, forage quality, and biodiversity. In this and future issues, these three will examine the social and environmental benefits of local food production and the actions needed to overcome the powerful societal and economic obstacles that stand in the way.

We are also excited to share the groundbreaking Climate-Oriented Forest Management: New Guidelines for Massachusetts, introduced by David Foster and leaders from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, with reflections from six members of the state’s Climate Forestry Committee, who hail from all over New England. These nine individuals provide background and several unique perspectives on a new report that outlines a path forward for forest management in the face of a changing climate. We believe their insights, along with the analysis presented within the report, provide valuable insights for decision makers throughout the region.

Woven among these in-depth pieces are personal essays, articles, artwork, and poetry that we hope provide opportunities to breathe, reflect, and fire up the energy needed to address the complex climate-related and biodiversity challenges facing New England. 

As always, we invite you to join the conversation. Please reach out to us and share your thoughts in our reader survey.

With gratitude,
The Editors of From the Ground Up

Brian Donahue, David Foster, Marissa Latshaw, Alex Redfield, Jamie Sayen, Liz Thompson