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Massachusetts Assessment of Need, the Number of Individual Landowners in Massachusetts Was Increasing Dramatically

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Massachusetts Assessment of Need, the Number of Individual Landowners in Massachusetts Was Increasing Dramatically July 20, 2020 Logo Department Organization Information Organization Address Information Forest Service Washington Office 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250 File Code: 3360 Date: July 8, 2020 Route To: Subject: Approval of Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need Update To: Gina Owens, Regional Forester, Eastern Region This letter is in response to your letter of February 14, 2020, regarding the proposed update to the Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need that includes significant updates to Forest Legacy Areas. Our staff has reviewed the update, and I approve. JOHN PHIPPS Deputy Chief, State and Private Forestry cc: Kirston Buczak, Mark Buccowich, Scott Stewart America’s Working Forests – Caring Every Day in Every Way Printed on Recycled Paper FOREST LEGACY PROGRAM ASSESSMENT OF NEED MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION & RECREATION BUREAU OF FOREST FIRE CONTROL AND FORESTRY JANUARY 2020 Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need 2019 PREFACE Massachusetts forests are a major resource to the Commonwealth and constitute an inter- generational legacy. Today, despite being the fifth most densely populated state in the nation, sixty percent of Massachusetts remains forested. However, because of increasing population and demand for land for development, these forests have been divided up into smaller and smaller parcels and are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses. The 2019 Forest Legacy Assessment of Need for Massachusetts provides a comprehensive, long range process to identify and protect privately-owned woodlands that are under threat of parcelization, fragmentation, and conversion to non-forest uses. As appropriate, periodic review and revision to this assessment will be made to meet the future needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights Room 326-W, Whitten Building 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Funding for this publication was provided by the USDA Forest Service Forest Legacy Program. Peter Church, Director of Forest Stewardship Bureau of Forestry Department of Conservation and Recreation Commonwealth of Massachusetts Date: June 30, 2019 Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 5 II. MASSACHUSETTS FORESTS: PAST AND PRESENT ........................................................ 6 A. Massachusetts Forest History................................................................................................ 6 1. The First Forest ........................................................................................................... 6 2. The Second Forest ....................................................................................................... 7 3. The Third Forest .......................................................................................................... 7 B. The Forest Resource Base ..................................................................................................... 8 1. Forest ownership ......................................................................................................... 8 2. Forest Composition ..................................................................................................... 9 3. Forest Wildlife ........................................................................................................... 10 4. Forested Wetlands ..................................................................................................... 11 5. Geology, topography and outstanding geologic features .......................................... 13 6. Cultural Resources .................................................................................................... 14 C. Demands on the Forest ........................................................................................................ 15 1. Recreation .................................................................................................................. 15 2. Clean Water ............................................................................................................... 15 3. Benefits to Human Health and Society ..................................................................... 16 4. Wildlife Habitat ......................................................................................................... 16 5. Forest Industry ........................................................................................................... 17 6. Energy from Wood ..................................................................................................... 17 7. Maple Syrup ............................................................................................................... 18 8. Christmas Trees .......................................................................................................... 18 9. Enhancing Urban Areas.............................................................................................. 19 10. Quality of Life .......................................................................................................... 19 11. Air quality................................................................................................................. 20 12. Mineral resources ..................................................................................................... 20 III. THE FUTURE OF THE FOTEST RESOURCE: CRITICAL ISSUES ................................. 22 3 Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need 2019 A. Forest Fragmentation .......................................................................................................... 22 B. Availability of Timber to the Wood Products Industry....................................................... 23 C. Impacts on Wildlife ............................................................................................................. 23 D. Sustainable Forestry ............................................................................................................ 24 E. Conserving the Land Base ................................................................................................... 25 IV. THE FOREST LEGACY PROGRAM: ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM ......................... 27 A. Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program ............................................................................. 28 B. Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Goal .................................................................... 33 C. Eligibility Criteria for a Forest Legacy Area .................................................................... 33 D. Massachusetts Forest Legacy Area ................................................................................... 39 E. Project Evaluation and Prioritization Process ................................................................... 57 V. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ..................................................................................................... 59 VI. SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 60 VII. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 61 VIII. APPENDICIES ................................................................................................................... 64 APPENDIX A – Massachusetts Forest Legacy Area History .................................................. 65 APPENDIX B – Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Authorization Letter ........................ 83 APPENDIX C – State Stewardship Coordinating Committee minutes August 27, 1991 ........ 85 APPENDIX D – Letters of Support .......................................................................................... 87 4 Massachusetts Forest Legacy Program Assessment of Need 2019 I. INTRODUCTION The forests of Massachusetts are an invaluable resource providing benefits ranging from recreational opportunities and tourism to clean water and air, food, wood products, and wildlife habitat. As in 1993, when Massachusetts joined the Forest Legacy Program, our forests face many challenges. These include ensuring landowners have enough economic incentive to retain and manage forest land, the loss of forests due to development pressure, and maintaining a viable forest products industry. It remains in the best interests of the state of Massachusetts to continue to encourage the conservation and management of its forests. The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) was established in 1990 through an amendment to the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (CFAA). The purpose of the FLP is to identify and protect environmentally important private forest land that is threatened by conversion to non-forest uses and to provide the opportunity for the continuation of traditional forest uses. The FLP uses both fee-simple land purchases and permanent conservation easements to protect important forest areas from development
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