This intensive 2.5-day course will introduce students to the significant policy and legal issues affecting forests and forest management, using the forests of New England as a case study. Topics to be discussed include the management of forests on private and public lands, forest fragmentation and biodiversity loss, the impact of invasive species, recreational and other evolving forest uses, and the implications and impact of climate change.  The course will introduce these issues through classroom and field study and will focus on how federal, state, and local laws and policies address these issues.  Law and policy regimes considered in the class will include land use regulations, incentives and taxation (current use), timber sales, marketing and import/export restrictions, wildlife management, and tourism.  The course will require full student engagement from 12:00 pm Friday through 6:00 pm Sunday.  There will be readings to be completed before the class starts, short written assignments, group exercises, and a series of field trips to local forest sites.  There are no prerequisites except enthusiasm, curiosity, and a willingness to learn.