Planning for a Liveable Future

By Rob Terry, Executive Director

If you’ve recently paid a visit to the farm, you’ve likely noticed the hard work that our land management team has been putting in this field season. There’s a new roof and siding on the maintenance building, site work is underway for a new pole barn and equipment shop, the horses have a new run-in attached to the small animal barn, the floor in the hay maw has been replaced, the sap tank has new stairs and a fresh coat of paint, and a host of other small and medium scale infrastructure projects have been completed. The focal point of this flurry of improvements is two-fold. We are striving to shore up and protect the buildings that have served us (and those that came before us) well, some for nearly two-centuries, while simultaneously conducting a thorough needs and condition assessment to inform our evolving master planning process.

When our staff and trustees first recognized that Merck Forest would benefit from the development of a 10-year master plan, we reached out to a number of organizations that had relatively recently drafted master plans of their own. Through these conversations, we received a mountain of helpful feedback. While there were a number of common threads woven throughout the recommendations that we were given, one stood out due to the universally strong conviction with which it was delivered: “honor the process.” We quickly recognized a direct correlation between the amount of well-spent time that organizations dedicated to its master planning and the likelihood that the plan was being followed to the benefit of the institution.

We are approximately a year-and-half into our own master planning process, and would estimate that we are roughly threequarters of the way complete. We have finished the forest management component of the plan (perhaps the most technical aspect of the effort), are nearing completion of the farming portion, and have launched both the ‘fleet and facilities’ and ‘educational programs’ planning efforts.

In recent weeks, we have begun to feel these efforts coalesce in encouraging ways. For example, thanks to the feedback we’ve gotten from our community, partners and staff on the value and impact of our farming and forestry work, we are beginning to better understand how to incorporate this work into the rich tapestry of ecology focused workshops, camps, internships, apprenticeships, and group programs that have lately served as the foundation of our instructional efforts. Furthermore, we are beginning to dream.

As this process reveals new and exciting ways to bring our mission to life for our community, we are recognizing prospective projects that could significantly enhance visitor experience; projects like rehabilitating the historic Harwood Barn and upgrading its interior to provide space for visitors to experience permanent and temporary installations showcasing the importance of sustainable agriculture and forestry. Stay tuned in. In the upcoming months, as we begin to assess the the potential of some of these dreams, and those that rise to the top are codified into our master plan, we will have a host of exciting opportunities to support Merck Forest & Farmland Center as we boldly position the organization to continue to inspire our community to live well on, and in concert with, this beautiful planet we call home.