Rumford Community Forest

Town-owned forests are a longstanding tradition in New England. For centuries, town forests have provided recreation, clean water, timber production, and bolstered climate-resiliency for the surrounding townships. Through our Community Forests program, we took this model and expand it to provide more direct involvement and benefit to community members—like at Rumford Community Forest.

Trust for Public Land and partners helped a local nonprofit purchase 446 acres of land to become Rumford’s first community forest. The land is open to the public for year-round enjoyment like hunting, fishing, hiking, and biking in the warmer months, and skiing and snowmobiling in the winter. Rumford Community Forest connects to and enhances beloved local trails like the ITS-82, a popular snowmobiling trail network, and Pennacook Area Community Trails, high-quality mountain bike trails in the River Valley area near Rumford. Passionate cross-country skiers and snowshoers can even find access to Black Mountain’s trail network by way of this community forest.

But what makes community forests so special are the community members that are actively voicing their vision for the future of the property. Our partners at Inland Woods + Trails and Northern Forest Center led the community planning process by hosting monthly public meetings and listening to residents on what they’d like to see in their forest. New trails here, new picnic tables there, or a bridge over Scotty Brook to re-establish a trail connection, now every visitor can find something to enjoy at Rumford Community Forest.