The Harvard Town Forest

The town forest in Harvard was established in 1923 on 70 acres of land which formerly served as the town poor farm. (Town poor farms were a widely practiced means of welfare throughout New England up until the end of the 19th century. Responsibility for welfare then shifted from towns to county or state governments, providing the opportunity for communities to retain ownership of town farm woodlots and convert them to town forest).

Over 8,000 trees were planted in the forest