On February 24, 2025, Paul Gagnon stepped down from the Pelham Forestry Committee, marking the end of an extraordinary 23-year tenure that helped shape the town’s natural landscape. His dedication, vision, and unwavering commitment to conservation have left an indelible mark, turning acres of underutilized land into thriving public spaces for recreation, wildlife preservation, and responsible forestry.

Pelham’s Town Forests are a vast and precious resource. Managing those 2,000+ acres falls to the Forestry Committee, a five member committee driven by the tenants of a Tree Farm, namely Wood, Water, Wildlife and Recreation.

Paul joined the Forestry Committee on April 1, 2002, at a time when its role was still evolving. Initially, meetings focused on timber harvesting a handful of town forests, but as the Conservation Commission began acquiring more land and these lands were voted as Town Forests, the Forestry Committee evolved into a driving force for sustainable land management. Since 2002, 1,481 acres of land have been purchased by the town of Pelham, with Paul personally negotiating the majority of these acquisitions. During his tenure, the Forestry committee developed 18 comprehensive Forest Management Plans, ensuring that the town’s woodlands would be cared for with long-term sustainability in mind.

Perhaps the most striking achievement of Paul’s tenure was the economic success of the Forestry Committee. Over the years, careful and responsible timber harvesting generated nearly $500,000 in revenue—all without using taxpayer dollars. This funding fueled essential projects, from habitat restoration to public access improvements, demonstrating that conservation and financial stewardship can go hand in hand.

Paul was also instrumental in making Pelham’s forests more accessible to the public. During his volunteer time, the Forestry Committee built eight trail head parking lots with six additional pull-over areas, ensuring that residents had easy access to our Town Forests and trails to explore the town’s natural beauty. Signs such as “Cutter Woods”, “Kirby Ivers” and “Merriam Farm” were installed along with kiosks, 12 separate Town Forest maps, color coded and blazed trails and a user-friendly cell phone app made navigation easier, while two Hike Challenges encouraged people to explore the over 22 miles of trails during all seasons.

Wildlife conservation was another cornerstone of Paul’s work. His advocacy led to the creation of vital habitats, including designated areas for the endangered New England cottontail rabbit and expanded field habitats maintained through regular mowing schedules. His efforts ensured that the balance between recreation and environmental stewardship remained at the heart of every project.

None of these accomplishments happened in isolation. Paul always credited other volunteers, fellow committee members, and local organizations who shared his passion for forestry and conservation. Their collective efforts have led to a dramatic increase in trail usage, with more people than ever enjoying Pelham’s natural spaces.

As Paul steps away from his official role, the foundation he and the Forestry Committee worked so passionately to build, will continue to guide the Forestry Committee’s future. However, he also leaves with a challenge to the new leadership: to not only maintain his legacy but to expand upon it with a clear vision and action plan. Paul has laid out a roadmap, goals for the committee, to ensure Pelham’s forests continue to thrive and evolve:

• Conduct timber harvests at Moose Pond, Calitri, and the 12-acre Shepard Road area.
• Develop Forest Management Plans for Lareau Farm, Gumpas, Peabody South, Peabody North, and Zolkos.
• Submit a warrant article to designate Zolkos’ 85 acres as a town forest and open trails there.
• Continue to expand the trail network and improve accessibility by opening a trailhead parking lot in the Blueberry Circle Town Forest along with a kiosk and mapped and blazed trails. Map and blaze the existing trail that leads from the corridor trail in the Moose Pond Conservation Area to the Shepard Loop. And build, blaze and map a new trail from Hildreth Street to the corridor trail in the Costa Conservation Area.

Paul is confident that these goals will be completed by the new leadership of the Forestry Committee — ensuring that the progress made over the past two decades continues to evolve. His departure marks the end of an era, but the impact of his work will be felt for generations to come. Now, it is up to the next generation of conservationists to rise to the challenge and continue what he and other past Forestry Committee members started.