PETERSHAM – On Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m., the Harvard Forest Fisher Museum will premiere “Views from a Woodlot,” a documentary by independent filmmaker Chris Hardee.

The 18-minute film follows Bruce Spencer of Leverett, a retired chief forester of the Quabbin Reservoir.

The documentary offers a glimpse into Spencer’s decades of experience and the ongoing stewardship of his own 150-acre woodlot. For Spencer, forest management isn’t just about cutting trees, it’s about cultivating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.

Early in his career, one of his mentors at the Quabbin gave him crucial advice on managing the forests, suggesting he avoid using logging machines.

“Do the right thing,” he recalls. “We (the workers at the Quabbin) don’t need the money.”

Spencer has carried this mantra throughout his career, always prioritizing the forest’s well-being over profit. His connection to forestry began in childhood,

“I have been involved with forests since I was a little boy,” he said. “We had our own woodlot where I grew up.”

This lifelong passion for forestry grew naturally, leading him to a degree in forestry at UMass Amherst and eventually a career at the Quabbin Reservoir, where he spent 40 years as a forester.

“Working in the finest water supply system, probably in the world, was quite a treat and I felt very fortunate to be a part of it,” Spencer said, reflecting on his time at the Quabbin.

“I followed a forester named Fred Hunt who had written the first management plan,” Spencer shared. “He had the same goals that the watershed people had and I was lucky in many accounts to be there.”

Spencer added that others’ foundational work shaped his own approach. His forestry philosophy, highlighted in the film, centers around low-impact practices that minimize damage to the land. This contrasts with modern industrial logging, which often relies on heavy machinery and clear-cutting.

“Heavy machinery can damage the fungal networks that connect trees and allow nutrients to flow,” he explained. “That damage affects everything, including how water moves through soil into our streams.”

After retiring from his chief forester role, Spencer turned his attention to his own 150-acre woodlot that he purchased in 1973, where he applied the same forestry philosophy. He shared how he and his brother managed the property together for the last 15 years.

“It wasn’t about making money, we were just taking the worst trees and leaving the best,” he said.

Now, Spencer is in the process of transitioning the property to the Town of Leverett as a gift, ensuring that it remains a public resource for people to fish, hunt and explore.

The making of “Views from a Woodlot” was both a personal and collaborative process. After interviewing Spencer for a previous project, the film “Burned,” filmmaker Chris Hardee found himself being drawn to his story.

“I thought there might be something interesting here, and I just asked him, can I follow you around the woodlot?” Hardee recalled.

He began filming the documentary in 2017, following Spencer through different seasons, capturing his work and, at times, stopping to discuss the reasoning behind his decisions.

“His way of working in the woods is such a light touch, I would categorize it with a label of low-impact forestry, or sustainable forestry,” Hardee said.

“You don’t go into the woods with heavy equipment, and you don’t clear-cut, which is the way he managed the Quabbin,” he added. “There are pretty destructive ramifications when you cut trees that way and when you cut them all.”

In a world grappling with climate change and other ecological issues, the message of the documentary is clear – sustainable forestry is more important than ever.

“There’s a rationale that forest professionals sometimes use that other people have poked holes in,” Hardee said. “Bruce appreciates and sees the forest as an entity and respects how it works. He knows what you need to do to have a healthy forest and not destroy it, which is crucial.”

Hardee hopes the film will encourage conversations about how the public values and manages forests.

“Let’s slow down, let’s look at all the assumptions we’ve made in the past and let’s talk about it,” he said.

Following the film screening, both Spencer and Hardee will offer remarks and answer questions. DVDs of the film will be available for sale. There is no RSVP required for this free and public event, located at 324 North Main St. in Petersham. For more information about the film, visit HighCairnFilms.com.