The Natick Town Forest

The town forest in Natick was established in 1930 on 110 acres of land. The town was fortunate in having received valuable gifts of land which were used for the town forest. To this the town added 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). An additional 10 acres were acquired at a later time. Over 38,000 trees were planted in the forest

The forest has been inducted into The Town Forest Hall of Fame because it is highly developed for educational use.

This is what the Massachusetts Forestry Assocation wrote about Natick's Town Forest (December 1962):

Probably the most highly developed Town Forest for educational use in Massachusetts is the 100-acre tract in Natick, a portion of which has been set aside as a natural science park. A comprehensive guide manual has been prepared together with a map showing the locations of permanent study plots. The manual covers such natural resource subjects as the aquatic and terrestrial animal life; soil, including the geologic history of the area and the role of primitive plants in forming the soil; the tree societies of the region and their economic importance; and the effect of the Town Forest on local climatic conditions. It represents the combined and coordinated efforts of a number of local residents who feel that we must develop in our youngsters a deeper appreciation of how our natural resources affect everyone.