Groups Secure Grant to Create Saratoga County’s First Publicly Owned Community Forest

WILTON — The Open Space Institute (OSI) celebrated a grant to establish the first publicly owned community forest in Saratoga County. 

The Saratoga County Community Forest, a joint project of OSI, Saratoga County, and Saratoga PLAN, will serve as a dynamic community hub for multi-use recreation and offer connections to a larger trail system envisioned for the Palmertown Range, a sector of the Adirondack Foothills that runs from Fort Ticonderoga in the north to Saratoga Springs in the south. 

In the community forest model of land conservation, municipalities or community-based organizations own the forestland and local citizens participate in the planning and management of forests. 

Easily reached off Route 9 and with ample space for developing public parking, the proposed Saratoga Community Forest property’s will allow visitors of varying abilities, fitness levels, and experiences to easily utilize and enjoy local trails and quickly immerse in an Adirondack experience. Additionally, as the first publicly-owned community forest in the area, the project is intended to serve as a model for future community forest development.

The $391,000 award, made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Community Forest Program, will support the permanent protection of the proposed 202-acre Saratoga County Community Forest property, which includes a rocky ridgeline, forested ravines along streams, a diversity of mixed northern hardwood forest communities, old logging roads, and an historic graphite mine.

The Community Forest Grant Program pays up to 50 percent of the project costs and requires a 50 percent non-federal match. OSI, Saratoga County, and Saratoga PLAN are pursuing additional partnerships, private fundraising efforts, and grants to help fully achieve this ambitious plan. 

The proposed Saratoga Community Forest Property contains four acres of wetlands, more than 6,700 linear feet of streams, and is within the Lake Loughberry watershed, which is the main source of drinking water for the more than 28,000 residents of the City of Saratoga Springs. The protection of this property will help filter rainwater before it drains into Lake Loughberry and help maintain water quality.

Visit OSI online at www.openspaceinstitute.org.