About Wildlands and Woodlands
Across Massachusetts, the Northeast and the Eastern United States, extensive forests have returned to the region after the 19th century agricultural boom and once again support forest ecosystem processes, thriving wildlife populations and critical environmental services for society.
However, in recent decades, forest cover in many of these regions has declined sharply from encroaching development, and today large areas of contiguous protected forestland are uncommon, conserved forests are largely disconnected, important natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to loss and old-growth forests and reserves isolated from human impact are rare.
Though decades of forest protection by state agencies and private organizations has slowed the rate of deforestation, the resulting patterns of land conservation and forest management are more than likely inadequate to meet future societal and environmental needs.
An opportunity exists to protect these regions now while forest cover is still extensive before intensive development deforests much of the region again, this time more permanently.
In response to this coincidence of threat and opportunity a group of Harvard Forest researchers developed the Wildlands and Woodlands vision
Using Massachusetts as an example for New England and the Eastern U.S., they proposed that 50% of Massachusetts' land area be protected as forest -- either actively managed for diverse qualities and products (Woodlands; 90% of the protected forest) or preserved in large reserves to support natural, ecological processes (Wildlands; 10% of the forest area).
Many efforts have arisen to support this vision including the Wildlands and Woodlands Partnership an informal organization of conservation groups, agencies and organizations that promote policy, implementation, financing and outreach related to the W&W vision.
