“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.” - Henry David Thoreau
Protecting our forests in this time of climate crisis and biodiversity collapse is recognized as an important way to protect our environment and our future health and well-being. Two bills have been submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature this session. One would permanently protect 412,000 acres under the care and control of the Division of Conservation and Recreation. The other would permanently protect 30% of the land owned by Fish and Wildlife, about 51,000 acres, by 2030. These state agencies already have land in reserves where intact ecosystems are influenced primarily by natural processes. These bills request more reserves than we now have, and give them legal protection that they do not currently have. Together these actions would help Massachusetts to do its part to help mitigate climate change and protect our native natural heritage.
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Save Massachusetts Forests is a project of RESTORE: The North Woods.
Three Forest Protection Bills Submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature
HD 2204: AN ACT RELATIVE TO FOREST PROTECTION
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD2204 sponsored by Representative Carmine Gentile,would update century-old public land policies written before we recognized the climate crisis and global loss of biodiversity and would help address these concerns by designating 312,000 acres of
forest lands controlled by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) as parks or reserves.
HD 2202: AN ACT RELATIVE OR WATERSHED FOREST PROTECTION
HD 1477: AN ACT RELATIVE TO INCREASED PROTECTION WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT AREAS
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD1477 sponsored by Representative Danillo A. Sena, would add 50,000 acres of state owned
Wildlife Management areas as reserves.
Together these bills would permanently proetect 462,000 acres as intact ecosystems that are influenced primarily by natural processes in our forests and parks — a level of protection that now exists for only 1% of the state’s land base to:
• Fight climate change by allowing forests to grow back and keeping them standing
• Protect native biodiversity by preserving about 9% of the state’s land base — an important
step toward the goal of protecting 30% of our nation’s lands and waters by 2030.
• Mitigate climate change impacts for all Massachusetts residents, including environmental
justice communities which are especially vulnerable to climate change impacts,
• Provide direct benefits to people, including clean air and water, scenic beauty, recreational
opportunities, and potential for economic diversification.
• Prevent harmful uses, such as land sales or exchanges; new gas pipelines; commercial solar
or wind facilities; pesticide and herbicide spraying; or promotion of woody biomass energy.
• Safeguard sacred and historic sites by prohibiting destructive resource extraction and
industrial development.
• Take immediate action to fulfill the commitment by the Governor to employ forest ecosystems to
mitigate global warming by increasing reserves on public and private land.
Help to prevent large scale solar, wind, biomass, batteries, transmission lines or other energy infrastructure on state land.
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What can you do to support this effort?
Contact your state representative and senator and ask them to co-sponsor these bills.
Prescribed burning in the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area. Is this okay with you?
In the news - Carbon Forestry Committee Report released-
Report of the Climate Forestry Committee: Recommendations for Climate-Oriented Forest Management Guidelines https://www.mass.gov/doc/forest-as-climate-solutions-climate-forestry-committee-report-final/download
“Unsurprisingly, disturbing the forests of Massachusetts as little as possible and allowing forests to grow and age through passive management is generally the best approach for maximizing carbon, ecological integrity, and soil health.” (page 4)
More information about this report is here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/forests-as-climate-solutions
In the news- Massachusetts state land logging moratorium petition delivered to Governor Charlie Baker
https://www.recorder.com/Petition-seeks-to-stop-logging-on-state-owned-land-46824885
Pre-eminent Biologist E.O. Wilson Supported Our Bills
to Protect State- Owned Land
"I strongly support this bill, which would permanently protect 13 percent of the Massachusetts land area, reaching from the Berkshires to the Atlantic Coast. This is the single most important action the people of thestate can take to preserve our natural heritage. As it has many times in the past, Massachusetts can provide leadership on this issue, inspiring other states across the country to take similar bold action."
With best wishes,
Edward O. Wilson
July 6, 2019
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Contact us at savemassforests@gmail.com