While 81 percent of New England is covered in forest, only 3.3 percent is permanently preserved as wildlands, according to a new study that’s getting a lot of buzz. The report, Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future, co-authored by Ed Faison, Highstead’s senior ecologist, appeared in a recent op-ed piece in The Hartford Courant. Wildlands are forests, wetlands, and other natural areas permanently protected from development and active management, where natural processes unfold with minimal human interference. They’re crucial to combatting climate change and biodiversity loss.
The study, the first of its kind in the U.S. to document wildlands history, locations, and levels of protection in one region, has also been featured in Commonwealth Magazine, ecoRI News, New Hampshire Union Leader, and VTDigger.
