Our forests provide tremendous public benefits, including: clean water, clean air, climate change mitigation, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and wood products. These benefits sustain our commonwealth and all who live in it. You might be surprised to learn, however, that our forests which provide us this wealth of benefits is overwhelmingly owned by private individuals and families…like you!

The future well-being of these many public benefits will be determined by the independent decisions that you as a landowner make. Each decision you make not only has implications for yourself and your family's property, but also shapes the landscape and community in which you live. Learn more about stewarding your forest and planning the future of your land.

• 60% (3 million acres) of Massachusetts is forested, making us one of the most forested states by percent of forest cover. Some towns in western Massachusetts are 90% forested.
• There are 1,119 acres of old growth forest in Massachusetts. Learn more about restoring old-growth characteristics.
• There are 7.1 million people in Massachusetts. That is about .4 acres of forest per person.
• 64% of those forests are in private ownership, the vast majority owned by families and individuals. 33% of forests are owned by state agencies (Department of Conservation and Recreation and Department of Fish and Game) and municipalities. The federal government owns less than 3% of the forests.
• Approximately 30% of Massachusetts’ land base is protected from residential and commercial development and will be forest forester. Half of our protected lands are publicly owned (state and municipal). The other half is privately owned by conservation organizations and landowners. Learn more about planning the future of your land.
• According to Massachusetts Audubon, approximately 13 acres of open space (forests and field) are lost to development every day.
• The annual gross output of Massachusetts forest products is 3 billion dollars.
• 17,000 people are employed in the forest products industry
• Every year, each person uses the equivalent amount of wood found in one 18-inch tree that is 100 feet high.
• Massachusetts only produces 7% of the wood we consume. Read the Beyond the “Illusion of Preservation” publication.
• The rate of tree growth to removals in Massachusetts is 6.8 to 1 (2017), meaning for every 6.8 cubic feet of wood that grows about 1 cubic foot of wood is removed in a timber harvest. Growth far exceeds removal
• Massachusetts’ forest-based recreation economy generates approximately $2.2 billion annually and supports 9,000 jobs.
• Each forested acre draining into a public water supply filters 543,000 gallons of drinking water per year, meeting the needs of 19 people, with an annual value of $2,500 per acre.

• Forests of Massachusetts, 2020 (USDA Forest Service)
• Losing Ground: Nature’s Value in a Changing Climate (Mass Audubon)
• Massachusetts Forest Action Plan
• Beyond the "Illusion of Preservation"