Massachusetts is quadrupling the amount of public forest land that is off-limits to commercial logging and will prohibit most clear-cutting over one-third of an acre, according to a new state plan announced today.
The decision, the most significant change in state management of its public lands in decades, reflects Governor Deval Patrick’s commitment to land preservation and the growing use of western Massachusetts public lands for recreation. For the first time, the state will clearly define what is a park, a nature preserve, or an area where trees can be cut.
"From now on, we will be clear about how we manage the different kinds of forest land that are owned by the state," said Ian Bowles, state secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The Patrick administration "sees our state forests as precious natural resources, and we intend to protect them, not exploit them," he said.
Today, about 40,000 acres, or about 13 percent of state and urban park lands, are off-limits to logging. Under the new plan, logging will be banned in nearly 200,000 acres, or 60 percent of state park lands and reserves.
The announcement comes after a yearlong state “visioning” for forest policy prompted by public outrage after residents came across more aggressive cutting – including large clear cuts – on state-owned lands in the last five years. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has acknowledged some cutting violated their own rules and disciplined some foresters.
Article courtesy of The Boston Globe-Green Blog by Beth Daley
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