TIMES RECORD • February x, 2025
In 1999, Peter Troast led citizens in a fight against a proposed 38-lot subdivision in Bliss Woods. The developer agreed to sell the land for conservation at $635,000. New England Forestry Foundation bought the land. Freeport Conservation Trust holds an easement. On Jan. 29, Troast posted on Facebook about how “jarring” it was to see logging underway with no heads-up. David Ayers, NEFF communications specialist, cited staff shortages as the reason for the delay in sharing project details. Bliss Woods is an example of the organization’s commitment to climate-smart forestry. Ayers urged locals not to view the harvest as clear-cutting but as “thoughtful thinning. These harvests are carefully planned, and our foresters understand the ecology of each forest.”