Stewarding Your Forest

Different forests produce different benefits. There is a spectrum of forest stewardship strategies to meet your landowner goals, ranging from taking a passive approach to intensive active forest management. The species, sizes, and arrangement of trees in your forest provide more of some benefits and less of others. Forest stewardship strategies are opportunities to shape the benefits your forest provides by encouraging specific tree species, sizes, and arrangements. It is also the opportunity to give back to your forest, ensuring it has all that it needs to sustain itself and express itself fully. Importantly, you don’t need to choose only one strategy. You can implement different approaches in different areas of your forest.

We need a variety of forest stewardship strategies across the landscape to sustain the many diverse, life-sustaining benefits they provide. Since most of the forests in Massachusetts (and the eastern U.S.) are owned by families and individuals in parcels ranging from dozens to hundreds of acres, these benefits are produced by you and your neighbors.  Your forest is one piece of the puzzle. Considering the way in which your property fits into the properties around you is an important consideration when choosing a stewardship strategy.  

Foresters can help you define your goals, understand the opportunities and challenges of your forest and the landscape in which it lies, explore your forest stewardship options, and design strategies that meet your goals. Learn more about working with a forester (Download publication below). Find a forester working in your town. 

Below you will find a brief description and link to learn more about forest stewardship strategies, common forest benefits of interest to landowners, and critical issues your forest may be facing.

Active forest management shapes the forest characteristics that maintain or diversify the benefits that your forest provides. Active forest management frequently involves removing some trees from the forest to create the necessary condition in your forest to achieve your goals, such as creating specific wildlife habitat or regenerating desired tree species. Removing trees to create a desired condition in your forest happens through timber harvesting. Learn more

Passive forest management allows forest growth and natural disturbances (e.g., wind, ice, insects) to be the main drivers of change in a forest, rather than active forest management.  The passive forest management approach requires an intentional and long-term commitment. It should be sited in areas of low forest challenges to ensure its unique benefits come to fruition. Learn more

Your land provides tremendous public benefits including clean water, wood products, agricultural products, climate change mitigation, and wildlife habitat.  In recognition of these many benefits, Massachusetts offers the Ch. 61 Current Use tax programs which lower property taxes in exchange for a commitment to continuing to provide these public benefits by maintaining land in one of the three eligible uses:  Ch. 61 (forestry), Ch. 61 A (agriculture), Ch. 61B (open space/recreation). Learn more

State and Federal conservation agencies offer cost-share programs that provide landowners financial incentives to implement specific forest stewardship strategies designed to maintain public benefits from their forest.  Learn more

There are a number of challenges facing our forests that could impact the way they function and the benefits they provide. These challenges include: forest conversion, invasive exotic plants and insects, and excessive deer herbivory.  Making informed decisions about the stewardship of your forest includes gaining a better understanding of these challenges and opportunities to increase your forest’s resilience to them. Learn more

Many landowners are interested in supporting wildlife. Any forest management strategy you implement, even passive forest management, will benefit some wildlife species over others. Choosing the specific types of wildlife species you’re interested in supporting can help guide your forest stewardship strategies. Considering the landscape context of your land is also an important consideration to providing habitat otherwise lacking in the landscape. Learn more

Forests are an important natural solution to climate change through their ability to sequester and store carbon. The decisions you make about your forest have significant impacts on its ability to mitigate climate change. Learn more

We live in uncertain times. Forests face a number of challenges which threaten their ability to sustain the benefits they provide. Understanding the characteristics of your forest which make them resilient and those that make them vulnerable to challenges is an important first step to planning your stewardship strategies. Learn more

It’s estimated that 90% of Massachusetts was once covered by old-growth forests. Even though Massachusetts is a heavily forested state, old growth forests cover only .04% of it (1,119 acres).  There are important differences between our current, ecologically young forests and old growth forests. There are both passive and active strategies to encourage the development of old-growth characteristics. Learn more

Land ownership can come with legal concerns.  Learning more about trespass liability, timber trespass, and adverse possession can help address those concerns. Learn more

Approximately 60% or almost 3 million acres of Massachusetts’ 5 million acres of land is forested, making it one of the most forested states in the country.  Massachusetts is also one of the most densely populated states. There are few places on earth where so many people live among so many trees. Learn more