Worst-First and Femelschlag: Ecological Forestry with the Foundation for Sustainable Forests - Guy Dunkle and Annie Socci Maloney

An essay by Guy Dunkle and Annie Socci Maloney. Read by Guy Dunkle. Guy Dunkle has spent the last 20 years practicing conservation-minded forestry in the same region of western Pennsylvania where he grew up. Guy partners with industrial, NGO, and public and private forest landowners to create vibrant, uneven-aged forests using a unique silvicultural system of low-intensity, high-frequency thinnings, group selection openings, and horse logging.Annie Socci Maloney joined the Foundation for Sustainable Forests team in 2016. Annie holds a PhD in forest ecology from Boston University and a BS in natural resources from Cornell University. She spent 15 years in wilderness education and leadership development with the Voyageur Outward Bound School in northern Minnesota. Annie and her family live on a farm in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they raise sheep and make maple syrup.--This piece is part of our series exploring ecological forestry featured in the Spring 2025 Issue of From the Ground Up.Read all the submissions in our Ecological Forestry collection:Ecological Forestry and Slow Wood: Perspectives from Around the Region by Brian DonahueEcological Forestry: Origins and Principles by Tony D’AmatoPutting Forests First: Ecological Forestry and an Ethical Worldview by David FosterRelationships: The Essence of Low Impact Forestry by Sam F. BrownThe Practice of Ecological Forestry: Seeking Diversity, Balance, and Adaptation in the Woods by Rick MorrillWorst-First and Femelschlag: Ecological Forestry with the Foundation for Sustainable Forests by Guy Dunkle and Annie Socci MaloneyThe Maine Woods Initiative: The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Approach to Ecological Forestry by Carolyn ZiegraManaging for Diversity: Insurance for the Future Forest by Ben FarinaExemplary Forestry: Integrating Climate Resilience, Biodiversity, and Wood Production by Robert T. Perschel