named programs · 9 · from sources
What they call their work
$65 Consultations
One-hour on-site property visits by staff foresters to assess forest health, land potential, and stewardship opportunities for private landowners.
Apple Tree Pruning and Grafting
Provides pruning and grafting services to improve health and productivity of apple trees on private properties.
Forest Bird Program
Provides high-nesting bird boxes and canopy bird feeders to support bird populations such as owls, ducks, and kestrels in forested areas.
Forest Farming Program
Offers hands-on education and services in agroforestry, including shiitake mushroom log inoculation and wild-simulated ginseng cultivation.
Invasive Species Management
Education and field services to manage invasive insects and plants threatening forest health in the Catskills.
Legacy Tree Planting
Assists landowners in selecting, planting, and maintaining trees for long-term ecological and memorial benefits, including site preparation and protective materials.
Portable Sawmill Program
Brings a portable sawmill to landowners' properties to convert logs into custom lumber, promoting utilization of fallen or harvested trees.
Tree Care Program
Includes structural tree pruning and cabling services to preserve and maintain large or damaged trees.
Wildlife Habitat Management
Forestry practices designed to enhance forest conditions for wildlife while improving overall ecosystem health.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 2 activities
- Agroforestry services for non-timber forest productsProvides on-site services and educational instruction for landowners to cultivate shiitake mushrooms and wild-simulated ginseng, including log inoculation, test plot installation, and guidance on forest integration, plant care, and harvesting.
- Apple tree preservation and pruning servicesUses grafting techniques to preserve old and desirable apple tree varieties and provides annual pruning services to improve tree vitality, fruit quality, yields, and wildlife access, with fruit production accelerated within 3–4 years through grafted trees.
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Local Land Conservation Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocacy for sustainable forest managementAdvocates for quality forest management practices to improve forest health, prevent ecosystem threats, and support conservation in the Catskill region.
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Artificial Nesting Habitat Management 1 activity
- Bird habitat enhancement servicesInstalls nesting boxes 20–50 feet above ground and canopy feeders suspended by cable in trees to support cavity-nesting birds and deter pests such as squirrels and bears.
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Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
- Forest landowner education and outreachProvides education to private landowners on forest renewal and regeneration practices to improve forest health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, delivered through field-based services, publications, and outreach materials.
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Ecological Habitat Restoration 1 activity
- Forest management services for private landownersProvides forestry management and care for over 86,000 acres of private forestland across six counties in New York State, including on-site consultations, invasive species management, and tree planting services.
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Environmental Conservation Grantmaking 1 activity
- Funding for forest health programs and infrastructureFunds educational and advocacy programs, tools, equipment, and organizational infrastructure to support forest health in the Catskill region.
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Professional Membership and Association Benefits 1 activity
- Membership program with tiered benefitsOffers individual and business membership tiers providing access to programs and services, event discounts, a quarterly newsletter, property signs, promotional outreach, and tier-specific discounts ranging from 5% to 15%, with business members receiving website listings and email promotions to over 1,100 members and friends.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Custom on-site sawmilling servicesOperates a portable sawmill transported to landowners’ properties to mill logs up to 20 feet long and 32 inches in diameter into custom lumber, including live-edge slabs up to 8 feet long and 26 inches wide, with services for non-commercial species such as apple, sycamore, and elm.
- Radio programming on forest topicsProduces and hosts a weekly radio program, “From the Forest,” broadcast on WIOX 91.3 FM, and publishes articles in regional publications and the CFA News to educate the public on forest-related topics including trees, logging, maple syrup, and conservation issues.
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financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$799K
Contributions & grants$434K54%
Program service revenue$255K32%
Investment income$109K14%
Other revenue$1K
expenses
Total expenses$732K
Program expenses74%
Admin / overhead26%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$462K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$771K
Cash$245K
Investments$58K
Liabilities$370K
Net assets$400K
Liquid reserves5.0 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +6.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RYAN TRAPANI | Executive Dir. | 40 | $92K |
board members · 12
- ELEANOR DIPALMA — Trustee
- GABE DEBRITA — Trustee
- JEN BETZ — Trustee
- LENORE OSTROWSKY — Trustee
- MARK KUGLER — Trustee
- MIKE PORTER — President
- NORMAN MAENDER — Trustee
- PAUL KRICKHAHN — Trustee
- ROBERT BISHOP II — Vice President
- STEPHEN FINCH — Secretary
- STEVE REICH — Treasurer
- TIMOTHY YEATTS — DEC LIAISON
relationships · 21
Who they work with
- American National Standards Institute Network — Follows ANSI A300 pruning standards for arboricultural practices.
- Catskill Region Network — Provides forest consultation services to landowners within the six-county Catskill Region.
- Catskills nurseries Partner — Supplies trees for the Legacy Tree Program from local nurseries in the Catskills region.
- NYS Chapter American Chestnut Foundation Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Government — CFA staff are licensed by NYSDEC as Pesticide Applicators, indicating regulatory affiliation and compliance with state standards.
- PGK Logging, Inc. Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Part 2 Events Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Saint James Church Lake Delaware Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Sluiter Agency Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Steady Slope Fields & Forest Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Sundial Studios Architecture & Design Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Sunlit Uplands Center LLC Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Teachers College, Columbia University Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- The Upstate House Hunter at KW Upstate NY Properties Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- The Wright Law Firm Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Upstate Property Maintenance & Excavation LLC Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- WIOX 91.3FM Partner — Hosts the weekly radio show "From the Forest" on WIOX, a local radio station in Roxbury, NY.
- WIOX Roxbury 91.3 FM Partner — Hosts and broadcasts CFA’s radio show “From The Forest”.
- Wild and Balanced High Performance Building Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
- Zane Lawyer Partner — Forest Program Manager at CFA who coordinates the Alaskan Sawmill program.
- Zone4 Landscapes Partner — Business member supporting the Catskill Forest Association's work.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Active Ecological Management for Forest Healthmethodology: active_forest_managementBy applying science-based active management techniques—such as thinning, pruning to ANSI A300 standards, ultra-low volume chemical treatments, and structural pruning—the organization enhances tree and forest resilience because these interventions directly reduce biological and environmental stressors while promoting regeneration and long-term ecosystem function.
- Community-Engaged Forest Stewardshipmethodology: community-engaged_forest_stewardshipBy involving landowners, harvesters, foresters, and the public in forest management decisions, the organization improves forest health and prevents ecological threats because collective engagement fosters shared responsibility, increases adoption of best practices, and strengthens local conservation capacity.
- Enhanced Wildlife Habitat Through Targeted Structural Interventionsmethodology: habitat-diversity-for-wildlifeBy installing elevated nesting boxes and cable-suspended canopy feeders, the organization increases habitat diversity and supports natural pest control because these structures attract underrepresented wildlife species and reduce competition, thereby enhancing ecosystem balance.
- Holistic, Goal-Oriented Landowner Engagementmethodology: holistic_forest_consultationBy integrating ecological assessment with landowner objectives through subsidized, on-site consultations and education, the organization increases adoption of sustainable practices because aligning management plans with personal goals improves relevance, trust, and implementation likelihood.
- Incentivized Conservation Through Economic and Personal Value Creationmethodology: agroforestry-incentivized-forest-managementBy linking forest management to tangible economic returns (e.g., forest farming) or personal value (e.g., on-site sawmilling of sentimental trees), the organization increases landowner investment in stewardship because demonstrating immediate, usable benefits motivates long-term ecological care where traditional timber economics do not apply.