Wildlands and Woodlands A Vision for the New England Landscape

Transcription

1 Wildlands and Woodlands A Vision for the New England Landscape May 19, 2010

2 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. W&W Authors

3 Slide 3 David R. Foster, Ph.D. Director, Harvard Forest Harvard University Wildlands and Woodlands author

4 Slide 4 A Turning Point Return of New England s forests represents unprecedented opportunity. Forest cover is declining in all 6 New England states.

5 Slide 5 The Vision 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.

6 Slide 6 Managed Woodlands 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.

7 New England Wood Supply Slide 7 New England forests can support greater use of wood resources.

8 Slide 8 Wildland Reserves 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.

9 Slide 9 The Vision at a Glance 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.

10 Slide 10 Robert Lilieholm, Ph.D. E. L. Giddings Professor of Forest Policy University of Maine, Orono Wildlands & Woodlands co-author

11 Slide 11 Forest Change in New England Factors driving forest loss vary across the region North Shifting land ownership & leisure development South & Coastal Areas sprawling residential & commercial development

12 Changing Ownership Patterns Slide 12

13 Slide 13 Risks of Shifting Ownership Fragments parcels & forests Hinders coherent management Deforestation & development Threatens long-standing tradition of public access

14 Slide 14 Projected Forest Loss to Development By 2030, 40 to 63% of forests in highly populated areas will be lost to development.

15 Slide 15 Impacts of Forest Conversion Contributes to habitat loss Alters water quality & flow Increases carbon emissions Municipal fiscal impacts Reduces availability of timber & other renewable resources

16 Slide 16 James N. Levitt Director, Program on Conservation Innovation Harvard Forest, Harvard University Wildlands & Woodlands co-author

17 Slide 17 Achieving the Vision 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

18 Slide 18 Conservation Tools 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

19 Slide 19 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).

20 Slide 20 Regional Partnerships 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

21 Slide 21 Another Turning Point 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.

22 Slide 22 Timothy J. Fahey Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor Department of Natural Resources Cornell University Wildlands & Woodlands co-author

23 Carbon Storage (g/m2)/yr) Slide Forest Carbon Storage Forests in rural areas in the Northeast absorb a lot of carbon compared to urban areas Forestry Rural Suburban Urban Courtesy: Hubbard Brook Research Foundation Raciti et al. In prep.

24 (g C/m2/yr) Slide 24 Forest Carbon Storage & Emissions 11, Forest Sequestration Emissions 11,000 2, , Forests absorb large amounts of carbon relative to emissions in rural areas, but not in urban areas Forestry Rural Suburban Urban Courtesy: Hubbard Brook Research Foundation Raciti et al. In prep.

25 Slide 25 Lynn Lyford Executive Director New England Forestry Foundation

26 Slide 26 W&W in Action: Conservation Aggregation 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

27 Aggregation Benefits Slide 27 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

28 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.

29 For more information visit: To schedule an interview contact: Clarisse Hart: 978/