Spring is here, and so are the ephemerals at East Rock Park 🌿✨
The Ecosystem Management and Conservation (EMC) Learning Community brought students together for a sunny, hands-on hike to explore New Haven’s spring wildflowers, led by Jack Hatajik ’25 MFS. Along the way, the group spotted seasonal favorites like Dutchman’s breeches and learned what makes these fleeting blooms so special.
After the hike, everyone gathered for grilled cheese and good company, thanks to the Food SIG, Plant-Based SIG, and EMC, with support from Cayce Morrison ’26 MEM. 🧀🌼
Swipe through to see highlights from the day!
Photos: Marina McGonigle
Mangrove forests are among the world's most vital coastal ecosystems — yet expanding cities are putting them at risk. Allen Gil, MFS ’26, is using machine learning to classify how urbanization is fragmenting these forests across Southeast Asian coastlines, turning his thesis into a tool for conservation.
🎥 @danswill
Foresters... in the trees!?🌲🧗
This past week, the Forestry Learning Community (FLC) and the Fire Student Interest Group hosted a tree-climbing workshop at Yale-Myers Forest to build field skills for researchers and practitioners alike. Led by the @womenstreeclimbingworkshop (WTCW), 10 students learned how to climb trees safely and confidently with the group's founders, Bear and Melissa.
Swipe through to see the highlights from the workshop!
Photo 1: Maria Gallegos
Photo 2: Hiromi Kondo
Photos 3, 4, 6: Li Murphy
Photos 5, 7: Marina McGonigle
This spring break, YSE students traveled far and wide to explore new landscapes! 🌏🛫
🌴 "Tropical Field Ecology" students traveled to Ecuador to study climate, conservation, and forest dynamics in diverse ecosystems. (Photos 1-4)
🌳 The students from the “Engaging Landholders and Communities in Conserving and Restoring Tropical Forest Landscapes” course visited the @yale_elti (Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative) team in Panama, connecting with local ranchers and restoration programs focused on tropical forest recovery. (Photos 5-7)
🌲 Forestry students traveled to the Southeast U.S. for an immersive look at timber, wildlife, and land management- gaining firsthand experience with prescribed burns, active logging operations, and exploring Aurora Sustainable Lands properties. (Photos 8–10)
Photos 1, 3: Rahul Shah
Photos 2, 4: Mia Forgione
Photos 5-7: Sherab Dorji
Photo 8: Kellen Moore
Photos 9-10: Aurora Sustainable Lands
🌲 Professor Mark Ashton brought Yale Forestry students to the 2026 New England Society of American Foresters (NESAF) Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine, from March 18–20. 🌲
During the conference, students presented their master’s research through flash talks and poster sessions—skills developed in Ashton’s "Seminar in Research Analysis and Communication in Forest Ecology." The event provided a great opportunity to share their work and connect with universities, regional organizations, and forestry professionals from across New England.
A special congratulations to two alumni recognized at this conference: Robert Seymour ’76 MF, ’80 PhD, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, and Adam Moore ’92 YC, ’95 MF, recipient of the James W. Toumey Award for Outstanding Achievement (Photo 2).
Swipe through to see some highlights and familiar faces! 🌿
Photo 1, 3: Gab D'Orazio
Photo 2, 4: Mark Ashton
There's something tasty happening this time of year at Yale-Myers Forest... it's maple sugaring season! 🍁
Students of ENV 653: Maple: From Tree to Table, taught by Lecturer Joseph Orefice, got to take what they've been learning in the classroom to the field. From tapping trees, fine-tuning their dendrology skills, and learning about boiling sap, we've had exciting days in the sugarbush.
The forest even got a spotlight on NBC Connecticut! Check out the news story on Yale's maple programs at YMF, starring Orefice and Forest Manager Owen Klein '25 MF in the link in bio.
Photos
Nat Burr: 1, 3
Marina McGonigle: 2, 4
Happy International Day of Forests!
From exploring landscapes across the world to the forests right here in Connecticut, these places continue to ground us, inspire us, and bring people together. Forests are not just ecosystems; they are classrooms, communities, and connections across time and place.
Today, we celebrate the forests that shape our work and the people dedicated to understanding, protecting, and restoring them. 🌳❤️
Photo 1, 4: Jeremy Stovall
Photo 2: Austin Tomlinson
Photo 3: Camilla Ledezma
@yaleistf hosted its 32nd annual International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) conference to discuss "Leadership in Conservation, Financial Innovation, and Governance," held on campus and online.
The event explored ecology, conservation science, and innovative finance for forests, highlighting the importance of collaboration to create transformative forest leadership. 🌴🌳
This student-led conference continues to be an important space for bringing together stakeholders from across the globe, while evolving into a multidisciplinary platform for co-creating solutions at the nexus of ecology, finance, and policy.
Photos: Rahul Shah
Five @environmentyale students joined Western Forest Crew to experience forestry in a new landscape. Hosted by @columbialandtrust , their first week brought them near Astoria, Oregon, and included a timber-marking project, exploring old-growth forests with The Nature Conservancy, and ringing in the new year all together.
In week 2, they traveled to White Salmon, Washington, where the Crew dove into hands-on learning through an interpretive hike, measured fuel loads of pine forests, and engaged in conversations about the complexities of a dam removal and river restoration.
Beyond project work, students immersed themselves in the Northwest, adventuring through coastal and dry pine forests, visiting Cape Disappointment, and watching unforgettable sunsets.
📸 Photos:
Cat Marcel: 1, 8, 9
Marina McGonigle: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Shaylyn Austin: 4
It's a new year, and we are back with a new Yale Forest Forum speaker series!
We are excited to announce “From Timber to Tomorrow: Old Challenges, New Pressures, Changing Paradigms,” held on Tuesdays, January 13–April 26, 2026, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. U.S. ET.
This series explores how forestry has changed over the past 50 years—from production-focused systems to contemporary landscapes shaped by ecological, social, and economic pressures. Speakers will examine how shifting values, management approaches, and external forces are reshaping forests and forestry.
🔗 Follow the link in bio to register or visit yff.yale.edu for more information.
The series is hosted by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment, Forest History Society, Society of American Foresters, Environmental Policy Innovation Center, and American Forests.
Yale-Myers Forest means something different to everyone who passes through. 🍂 From Out in the Woods gatherings to summers spent living and working among the trees, it’s a place of learning, belonging, and care.
In this love letter to YMF, Mia Ambroiggio ’26 MEM shares how these experiences, and the people behind them, grow into lasting connections with the forest. 🌲 🌳
Click the link in bio to read the full story!
Photos 1 & 3: Cloe Poisson
Photo 2: Sarah Lloyd
Photo 4: Jamila Jaxaliyeva
’Tis the season for holiday cheer! Earlier this December, students spent a festive day at Yale-Myers Forest harvesting Christmas trees and crafting handmade wreaths and ornaments. This cherished tradition is part of The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment, bringing our community together to celebrate the season. 🎄
All items are sold to support the Yale Temperate Foresters Student Interest Group, while spreading a little extra holiday joy. ✨
Swipe through to see our students harvesting and crafting.
Photo 1: Luke Schubert
Photos 2, 6: Nat Burr
Photos 3, 5: Andrew Saah
Photo 4: Shaylyn Austin
