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Wildlands and
WoodlandsA Vision for the New England Landscape
May 19, 2010
W&W
Authors
John Aber University of New Hampshire
Charles Cogbill Sterling College
Elizabeth Colburn Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Anthony D’Amato University of Minnesota
Brian Donahue Brandeis University
Charles Driscoll Syracuse University
Aaron Ellison Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Timothy Fahey Cornell University
David Foster Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Brian Hall Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Clarisse Hart Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Malcolm Hunter University of Maine, Orono
Lloyd Irland Yale University
William Keeton University of Vermont
David Kittredge University of Massachusetts
Kathleen Lambert Harvard Forest, Harvard University
James Levitt Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Robert Lilieholm University of Maine
David Orwig Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Jonathan Thompson Smithsonian Institution.
David R. Foster, Ph.D.Director, Harvard Forest
Harvard University
Wildlands and Woodlands author
Slide 3
A Turning Point
Slide 4
Return of New England’s forests represents unprecedented opportunity.
Forest cover is declining in all 6 New England states.
In response to opportunity & challenge 20 scholars are
releasing a new report.
Wildlands and Woodlands Vision:
conserve 70% of
New England in forestland,
permanently free from development.
The Vision
Slide 5
Managed Woodlands
• 63% of the New England
landscape or ~27 million
acres.
• 90% of the conserved
forestland in the region.
• Provide clean water, local
wood, climate buffering,
jobs and recreation.
Managed Woodlands
Slide 6
New England
forests can
support greater
use of wood
resources.
New England Wood Supply
Slide 7
Wildlands
• 7% of the New England
landscape or ~3 million
acres.
• 10% of the conserved
forestland in the region.
• Large forest areas
shaped by natural
processes.
Wildland Reserves
Slide 8
• Conserved forests = 70% of the New England landscape.
• Farmland = at least 7% of the landscape.
• Development could double from current levels = up to 20%.
• W&W will require roughly a doubling of the current rate of conservation.
The Vision at a Glance
Slide 9
Robert Lilieholm, Ph.D.
E. L. Giddings Professor of Forest Policy
University of Maine, Orono
Wildlands & Woodlands co-author
Slide 10
Factors driving forest loss vary across the region…
North – Shifting land ownership & leisure development
South & Coastal Areas –sprawling residential & commercial development
Forest Change in New England
Slide 11
Changing Ownership Patterns
Slide 12
• Fragments parcels & forests
• Hinders coherent management
• Deforestation & development
• Threatens long-standing
tradition of public access
Risks of Shifting Ownership…
Slide 13
Projected Forest Loss to Development
Slide 14
By 2030, 40
to 63% of
forests in
highly
populated
areas will be
lost to
development.
• Contributes to habitat loss
• Alters water quality & flow
• Increases carbon emissions
• Municipal fiscal impacts
• Reduces availability of
timber & other renewable
resources…
Impacts of Forest Conversion…
Slide 15
James N. Levitt
Director, Program on Conservation Innovation
Harvard Forest, Harvard University
Wildlands & Woodlands co-author
Slide 16
• Achieving W&W by 2060 will require collaboration across the public, private and non-profit sectors
– Conservation easements by willing private landowners and inventive non-profits --example: Pingree project completed by the New England Forestry Foundation
– Avoided deforestation through targeted public funding -- example: federal Forest Legacy funding of Quabbin Corridor project
– Economic development with relatively low impact on the landscape -- example: The Pinehills in Plymouth, MA
Achieving the Vision
Slide 17
• A mix of traditional &
innovative conservation
tools will be needed
– Landscape-scale initiatives, such
as those emerging across New
England
– Conservation aggregation projects
– Planning and policies to reduce
sprawl and encourage low-impact
development
Conservation Tools
Slide 18
Funding & Finance
We will need to continue to develop sources of
human, social and financial capital for conservation
and sustainable economic development
– Increased public funding (examples: federal Land and Water
Conservation Fund, local ballot initiatives).
– Strengthened conservation incentives (examples: renewal of
federal tax deductions for easements, fast-track permitting for
low-impact developers).
– Development of new and existing ecosystem service markets
(examples: carbon sequestration, clean water, sustainably
harvested wood products, biofuels).
Slide 19
• Increase outreach and collaboration
• Can be used to employ new methods and strategies, such as aggregation, across jurisdictional boundaries
• W&W Partnership - a network of more than 60 conservation organizations working to achieve the W&W vision
Regional Partnerships
Slide 20
• W&W builds on a long tradition of conservation leadership
in New England.
• W&W comes at a time of growing attention to the future of
forests in New England and worldwide.
• W&W goals are ambitious and achievable, following
examples set by the Pingree project, The Pinehills, and by
regional collaborators in the North Quabbin.
Slide 21
Another Turning Point
Timothy J. Fahey
Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor
Department of Natural Resources
Cornell University
Wildlands & Woodlands co-author
Slide 22
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Forestry Rural Suburban Urban
Carb
on
Sto
rag
e (
g/m
2)/
yr)
Forest Carbon Storage
Courtesy: Hubbard Brook Research Foundation
Raciti et al. In prep.
Forests in rural
areas in the
Northeast
absorb a lot of
carbon
compared to
urban areas.
Slide 23
93 96
71
3025.4
187
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Forestry Rural Suburban Urban
(g C
/m2
/yr)
Forest Carbon Storage & Emissions
Forest Sequestration
Emissions
11,000
2,000 1,900
11,000
Slide 24
Courtesy: Hubbard Brook Research Foundation
Raciti et al. In prep.
Forests absorb
large amounts
of carbon
relative to
emissions in
rural areas, but
not in urban
areas.
Lynn Lyford
Executive Director
New England Forestry Foundation
Slide 25
• Bundling individual land
trust projects vs. one
project at a time
• Western MA Pilot Project
Seven land trusts
72 projects
10,300 acres
$21.3 million
Slide 26
W&W in Action: Conservation Aggregation
• Realize a landscape scale vision
• Access funding sources not generally
available
• Conserve a variety of forest lands
• Achieve economies of scale
• Nurture new conservation technologies
Slide 27
Aggregation Benefits
In Summary
• Critical turning point - forest cover is declining.
• Factors - changing ownership and development.
• Vision - conserve 70% of the landscape in forest to
retain infrastructure – mostly as managed woodlands.
• How - double the rate of forest conservation working
with existing groups and willing private landowners.
For more information visit:
www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org
To schedule an interview contact:
Clarisse Hart: 978/756-6157