News Release

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Hosts Annual Forest Festival, September 24

Date: September 13, 2022
Contact: Rainey McKenna, 802-478-4160

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park invites the public to celebrate working woodlands and wood craft during its annual Forest Festival event on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Entry to the park and event is free. Parking for the event is at the Billings Farm & Museum overflow lot.

“As summer turns to fall, people are drawn to the transforming forested landscapes,” said Visitor Experience and Resource Stewardship Program Manager Rainey McKenna. “The park is excited to host the Forest Festival again after a two-year hiatus. Come enjoy horse-logging, wagon rides, and hands-on crafts, and learn about the science of sustainable forestry at this family-friendly event.”

During the event, visitors can experience a wide array of forestry practices and forest-themed programs and activities, including horse-logging, a portable sawmill, professional woodworker demonstrations, family-friendly crafts and woodworking activities, Abenaki cultural demonstrations, guided forest hikes and educational talks related to forestry and forest ecology. A horse-drawn wagon ride will connect the various activity hubs throughout the park. Scheduled programs include:

Yoga in the Park, 9:00 a.m.
Join a park ranger and yoga teacher for a yoga practice overlooking the formal gardens of the historic Billings Estate. The one-hour class is for students of all levels of experience with options to make each pose your own. Students should bring their own yoga mat or a towel and water. Reservations for this program can be made at  www.recreation.gov.  The cost to reserve a spot is $1.00 per person.

Ash Basket Discovery Table, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Visit the ash basket discovery table, where Vera Longtoe Sheehan will discuss the cultural significance of the ash tree to local Native American people and demonstrate how to make ash splints and sweetgrass bookmarks.

Reading the Forested Landscape with Tom Wessels, 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m.
Join author Tom Wessels, author of Reading the Forested Landscape, on a guided walk through the forest. The walk will focus on interpreting landscape histories, examining unique plant adaptations, and delving into the robust web of interrelationships between species that is the foundation of ecosystem resiliency. Space is limited to 16 people. Reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov.  The fee for this program is $9.00 for adults (16-61), $5.00 for seniors (62+), and $1.00 for children (15 and under).

Horse-Logging Walk, 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
View traditional horse logging techniques and learn about the park’s historic and current forest management practices on a ranger-guided walk. Horse logging operations are conducted by Third Branch Horse Logging of Braintree, VT. This program is free.

Forest Wellness Walk, 12:00 p.m.
Join a ranger on an invigorating and inspiring walk through the woods of Mt. Tom. This one-hour walk will include sensory meditation techniques and discussions about the health and wellness benefits of time spent in nature. This easy hike will cover 1-mile of trail. Program begins at the Carriage Barn Visitor Center at 12:00 p.m.

Rhode Island School of Design Witness Tree Art Exhibition Opening, 1:00 p.m.
At 1:00 p.m. join students from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in the Carriage Barn Visitor Center for the opening of the Witness Tree art exhibition and artist talks. Since 2009, RISD and the National Park Service have worked to develop a collaborative model for teaching and learning centered on witness trees, long-standing trees that were present for key moments in American history. The exhibition will feature art objects that interpret the history witnessed by the tree from which they are crafted.

Mansion Open House, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The first floor of the Billings-Rockefeller Mansion will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for self-guided tours. Reservations are not required.

The park’s 550 acres include some of the oldest scientifically managed forest in the United States. For millennia prior to colonization, and continuing today, the region is home to the Abenaki people, who continue to carry out cultural practices that involve the northeastern forest. Following a period of active deforestation, professional forest management on Mount Tom began in 1869 when Frederick Billings purchased the land from the Marsh family and established an estate that would serve as a model of wise stewardship. Billings’s granddaughter, Mary, and her husband, Laurance S. Rockefeller, sustained this stewardship approach and entrusted the National Park Service to continue forest management on the property. Today, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only national park practicing active forestry.