Wildlands and WoodlandsA Vision for the New England Landscape

W&W Authors

John D. Aber University of New HampshireCharles V. Cogbill Sterling College, VermontElizabeth A. Colburn Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityAnthony W. D’Amato University of MinnesotaBrian M. Donahue Brandeis UniversityCharles T. Driscoll Syracuse UniversityAaron M. Ellison Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityTimothy J. Fahey Cornell UniversityDavid R. Foster Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityBrian R. Hall Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityClarisse M. Hart Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityMalcolm L. Hunter University of Maine, OronoLloyd C. Irland Yale University William S. Keeton University of VermontDavid B. Kittredge University of MassachusettsKathleen F. Lambert Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityJames N. Levitt Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityRobert J. Lilieholm University of MaineDavid A. Orwig Harvard Forest, Harvard UniversityJonathan R. Thompson Smithsonian Institution

History Inspiring Conservation

1880 – Agriculture dominated

2010 – Forest dominated

2060 – ???

ThreatsDeforestation

Perforation

Degradation

Threats Change in Ownership & Management

Changes in Forest Ownership – Northern Maine

FarmlandDevelopmentDevelopmentForestWater

Land Protected fromDevelopment

Conserved Open Space

Land Cover

Two Remarkable Products of History

Forests = Direct Economic Benefits

Forests = Critical Infrastructure

New England Forests

Globally important carbon storage and climate mitigation

Canopy NitrogenLow

High

Forests in North America

New England Forests

----------Continental Connections

Conservation of Landscapes, Communities and Lifestyles

The Wildlands and Woodlands Vision______________________________________

Conserve at Least 70% of New England in Forest

Protect 30 million acres of New England’s existing 33 million acres of forest

Retain or increase farmland (>7% of land)

Allow for up to a doubling of current developed areas

Conservation

On private land through conservation

easements

Shaped by local conditions and

interest

90% of forest land63% of New England

~27 million acres___________________

Well-managed forests permanently conserved

Managed Woodlands

10% of forest land7% of New England

~3 million acres

_____________________

Large forest landscapes shaped by natural processes and largely free

from human impact

Wildland Reserves

Over the next 50 years we must double our rate of land conservation through:

•

Existing conservation capacity•

Large-scale conservation

•

Increased funding •

Policy and planning tools

Achieving the Vision

W&W Partnership -

more than 60 local and regional organizations and agencies

Regional Conservation Partnerships

Multiple landowners advancing conservation across many parcelse.g., Massachusetts – Tully project and W Mass Aggregation Project

Aggregation

Expanding Conservation Finance

From Vision to Action• Landowners and citizens• NGOs, land trusts, and agencies• State, local and federal governments

New thinking – Investment in Natural Infrastructure

Measuring Forest Change--------------

Evaluating Management Success

Another Turning Point

Google “Wildlands and Woodlands”---------

Harvard University Press---------

Harvard Forest

For Copies of the Report and Information

2005