The average age of a forest landowner is almost 65 years old. We are in the midst of the largest inter-generational transfers of land that our country has ever seen.  Forests are vulnerable to conversion to other land uses and properties to parcelization at times of ownership changes.  The most important forest stewardship action you can take is to develop and implement a conservation-based estate plan. Without forests there are no forest benefits. Keeping forests as forests maintains all the forests benefits and forest stewardship options.

• Conservation-based Estate Planning
• Protecting Your Legacy
• Mass Audubon’s Losing Ground Report 

Global trade has led to the establishment of forest insects from other parts of the world that share our climate.  Since these insects didn’t involve in our native forests, our trees don’t have adequate defenses and there are often no natural predators, leading them to become highly destructive.  Invasive insects often feed on particular tree species, selectively removing that species and their benefits from our forests and decreases the forest’s resilience. Below is a list of some of the most damaging forest insects.

Asian Long-horned Beetle 

Beech Blight Aphid 

Emerald Ash Borer 

• Publication: Managing Northeastern Forests Threatened by Emerald Ash Borer
• Webinar: Managing Northeastern Forests Threatened by Emerald Ash Borer

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid 

• Publication: Silvicultural Options for Managing Hemlock Forests Threatened by Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
• Tool:  Landowner Hemlock Prioritization Tool

Southern Pine Beetle

Spongy Moth 

Spotted Lanternfly 

Global trade and the nursery industry have introduced non-native plants into our region.  While many of these non-native plants are innocuous, some of them demonstrate characteristics such rapid growth, high seed production, and leafing out in the spring before trees which make them invasive.  These non-native, invasive plants have shown themselves to be highly successful in our forests at the detriment of our native plants and animals.  Non-Native, invasive plants can take over a forest understory and overstory, making the regeneration of native plants and trees challenging and reducing the quality of habitat and food resources for native insects and animals.  The earlier you can identify non-native, invasive plants in your forest, the more options you have to control them and the greater likelihood of success, so get out in your forest. Below are some resources to help you develop a strategy to address non-native, invasive plants in your forest.

• Invasive Plants of New England
• Picking Our Battles: A Guide to Planning Successful Invasive Plant Projects
• Mechanical Treatment
• Chemical Control
• Disposing of Non-native Invasive Plants 

Though white-tailed deer are native to our forests, their populations have increased dramatically due to a lack of natural predators, lower hunting pressure, and an increase in habitat and food as forests are converted to landscaped houses. Deer overpopulation leads to excessive herbivory in our forests, making it difficult for native plants and trees to regenerate and grow.  In areas of high deer populations, there are is no understory and young trees.  A forest’s ability to regenerate itself is essential to sustaining forests and the benefits they provide.  Below is information to help you estimate the impact of deer on your forest and options for protecting regeneration.

• White-tailed Deer in the Northeastern Forests: Understanding and Assessing Impacts publication
• Slash walls
• White-tailed Deer in the Landscape

In an agricultural setting, earthworms can be a benefit, however, in a forest, they have the ability to reduce the organic matter in the leaf litter, altering the soil structure and chemistry in forests and leading to increased soil erosion and nutrient loss. Recently, invasive jumping worms have become a concern.

• Earthworms
• Invasive Jumping Worms

• Don't Move Firewood
• USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection