Caption: Are you interested in #conservation, #foodsovereignty, #landplanning, #landjustice and equity? Join the Regional Conservation Partnership Network on November 18 for the 2021 virtual RCP Network Gathering, Land Justice: The Heart of Resilient Regions and Communities. The Gathering is hosted by @highsteadfoundation and registration is free and open to all. Learn more at the link in our profile. (https://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/rcp-network-virtual-gathering-2021-land-justice-heart-resilient-regions-and-communities-thursday) ← Please add this URL to your profile or linktree.
Caption: This year marks the 12th annual RCP Network Gathering, and we’re looking forward to learning from and discussing collaborative #conservation and how Regional Conservation Partnerships (RCPs) can support, and form meaningful collaboration while advancing #landjustice and equity now. The Gathering is on November 18, 9 am – 3 pm ET via Zoom and hosted by @highsteadfoundation. Registration is free and open to all. (https://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/rcp-network-virtual-gathering-2021-land-justice-heart-resilient-regions-and-communities-thursday) ← Please add this URL to your profile or linktree.
Caption: This year marks the 12th annual RCP Network Gathering, and we’re looking forward to learning about and discussing collaborative conservation and how Regional Conservation Partnerships (RCPs) can support and build meaningful collaboration while advancing land justice and equity now. November 18, 9 am – 3 pm ET via Zoom. The Gathering is hosted by Highstead and registration is free and open to all. https://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/rcp-network-virtual-gathering-2021-land-justice-heart-resilient-regions-and-communities-thursday.
Caption: Mark your calendars for this year’s RCP Network Gathering on November 18, 9 am – 3pm ET via Zoom. At this year’s Gathering, you can learn how we can all support, amplify, and replicate the successes of groups and communities already driving Land Justice work in the Northeast. Breakout sessions will give you the opportunity to meet new peers and connect with colleagues you haven’t seen in a while. Registration is free and open to all. https://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/rcp-network-virtual-gathering-2021-land-justice-heart-resilient-regions-and-communities-thursday.
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Caption: Interested in #conservation, #FoodSovereignty, #LandJustice and equity? Join the 11/18 Regional Conservation Partnership Network Gathering on Land Justice: The Heart of Resilient Regions & Communities. https://bit.ly/RCPGathering2021 #NewEngland #Northeast #RCPNetwork
There’s still time to join the RCP Network Gathering on 11/18. The focus is on understanding the legacy of land injustice and approaches to incorporating justice and equity into our daily work and vision for #conservation. https://bit.ly/RCPGathering2021 #NewEngland
On the evening of September 1, 2021, best-selling author Doug Tallamy reminded his virtual audience of the critical link between human life and the natural world. “Humans are totally dependent on ecosystem services,” he said, referencing the many ways natural systems support human life. He continued, “What I want to argue this evening, though, is that living with nature not only is an option, it is now the only viable option that is left to us.”
Doug Tallamy proposes we garden to support life– insects, wildlife, and our own.
In his presentation as part of the Mark Twain Library’s adult program series, Tallamy laid out a vision for a grassroots conservation approach where homeowners and property owners can support the insects, plants, and animals that sustain us. Detailed in his recent book, Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard,which he sees a momentous opportunity for property owners to shift from viewing the natural world as “out there” to experiencing wildlife and supporting biodiversity at home and in our neighborhoods and communities.
Tallamy stressed how personal and vital it is that we act where we can. He shared the statistic that 85.6% of the U.S. east of the Mississippi is privately owned, and 78% of the entire country is privately owned. “If we don’t do conservation on private property, we’re going to fail. And of course, we can’t afford to fail.” How can we help, and what does this look like? Tallamy suggested a new goal for the landscaping we put forth as humans: to have functional ecosystems where we live. Have a yard with less than lively turf grass? He shares how one can transform their yard into conservation corridors and habitats that support wildlife and increase biodiversity.
Doug Tallamy is T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. He is co-founder of Homegrown National Park, a grassroots call-to-action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function because every human being on this planet needs diverse and highly productive ecosystems to survive. Photo credit: Rob Cardillo
New England’s rural forests and its urban greenspaces are comprised of one of the region’s most treasured and historically important natural resources—trees. In a recent episode of Connecticut Public Radio’s Disrupted podcast, host Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean interviews three leaders who share how trees are vital to our well-being and future. The segments feature Drew Goldsman, Urban Conservation Director for the Connecticut chapter of The Nature Conservancy; Caroline Scanlan, GreenSkills Manager for Yale’s Urban Resources Initiative; and David R. Foster, Senior Conservationist at Harvard University’s Harvard Forest and President and Board Chair of Highstead.
Goldsman points to the fact that unequal access to forests and trees means a select few enjoy their benefits. He emphasizes the vital connection that urban communities and individuals have with their natural resources, like trees, and how it’s critical to support community leaders in overcoming barriers to access, including, “Making sure we’re finding those partnerships with affordable housing partners, in general, city government, to ensure that this is considered a vital city service along with transit, housing, lead abatement—this all has to be a part of an investment in community health.”
But we actually are converting twenty-four, twenty-five thousand acres of land a year across New England to asphalt and to backyards. That’s the single most intensive and most damaging impact because it eliminates the forest, it releases carbon dioxide, and it prevents future forests from taking that in and providing all the other benefits.
David R. Foster
In New Haven, the Urban Resources Initiative (URI), part of the Yale School of the Environment, has collaborated with city officials to increase the urban tree canopy since 1991. Scanlan shares how their tree planting mission has expanded by centering the importance of trees and respecting the connection that communities have with the land. In addition, they partner with landowners and renters and increase the number of people participating in urban forestry by partnering with local high schools and EMERGE Connecticut to connect those with barriers to employment, like formerly incarcerated people, with work opportunities. She says, “It’s really been an opportunity for URI to reach so many folks in New Haven, to grow our own community and network, and to have voices and advocates for local urban forestry efforts.”
The Highstead forest in Redding, Connecticut
On a regional scale, Highstead Board President and Harvard Forest Senior Conservationist, David. R. Foster discusses the impact of climate change in the Northeast and the impacts on New England’s rural forests. As co-author of the 2017 Wildlands & Woodlands (W&W) report, he shares some of the detailed suggestions for what the region needs to do to avoid further forest loss, which is currently at the rate of 24,000 lost acres annually. He discusses how climate change affects our region differently.
“In general, in New England, as the temperatures warm, our seasons will get longer. With more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, ironically our trees grow better… But we actually are converting twenty-four, twenty-five thousand acres of land a year across New England to asphalt and to backyards. That’s the single most intensive and most damaging impact because it eliminates the forest, it releases carbon dioxide, and it prevents future forests from taking that in and providing all the other benefits.”
Wildlands and Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities: Broadening the Vision for New England
Foster’s focus remains on deforestation—the clearing of forests and converting of these areas to other landcover like asphalt or buildings—and on reversing the degradation of forests by intensive harvesting, especially in northern New England. He states that landowners, municipalities, states, and individuals all have an essential role in protecting forests and working toward the Wildlands & Woodlands suggested goal of conserving 30 million acres or 70% of our forested land by 2060.
Last month, the Highstead staff convened from across New England for an in-person outing for the first time since before the pandemic. While some team members reconnected after over a year of working apart and remotely, others met each other in person for the first time. The day consisted of team-building outdoor activities, including a paddle to Connecticut’s Outer Island, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge.
A special thanks to our kayak guide, Eileen from Branford River Paddlesports, and Ian, our Outer Island tour guide, for sharing their knowledge and helping us have a successful gathering.
Highstead would not be what it is today without the steadfast leadership and diverse experiences of its team members. Meet the people of Highstead: experts, conservation leaders, scientists, and staff that embody Highstead’s mission to build a healthier, more livable world for all in our staff interview series.
Spencer Meyer, Senior Conservationist
What is your role?
Spencer: I lead Highstead’s conservation finance program, which entails everything from working with partners on new public and private funding initiatives, to providing conservation strategy to partner NGOs, to conducting research on land use, economics, and environmental policy.
What drew you to Highstead?
Spencer: Solving the greatest conservation and climate challenges requires taking a long view and investing in foundational programs that may take years to pay dividends. Highstead embodies that patient commitment in its people and partnerships.
What are your favorite parts of your job?
Spencer: Every day I get to work with wicked smart colleagues within Highstead and at many of our partner organizations. I draw a lot of my inspiration from these folks. Collaboration can be hard some of the time, but it’s so much more fun and rewarding than going it alone.
Where does your motivation come from?
Spencer: I am motivated by the woods and waters around my home and my favorite New England destinations. I spend a lot of time outdoors mulling over how we got so lucky to have these places to reflect and recreate. I want everyone to have easy access to places that are special to them. I believe it’s through these personal connections to the land that we will ultimately succeed in accelerating the pace of conservation.
What is the professional accomplishment you are most proud of?
Spencer: If I had to point to one thing, I would say I am immensely proud of what my partners and I have built at Sebago Clean Waters – a true public/private partnership that is investing in preserving a critical watershed that serves millions of people. I also am very gratified by those moments, every once in a while, when I see something exciting happen, and I can look back and know for myself that I provided a little nudge, or a connection, or some advice along the way that helped make it happen.
Who are your conservation heroes throughout history and today and why?
Spencer: I received my forestry and conservation education in a time when mostly wealthy white men were celebrated for the things they did. I can’t help but be inspired by some of those stories, and particularly by Percival Baxter, who persevered over several decades to create Baxter State Park. Baxter is a very special place to me, and on my office wall hangs an original 1931 USGS topo map of the Baxter region from just before it became the Park. But I also know I have a lot to learn about how so many unsung, underrepresented heroes were working behind the scenes to make things happen. I have learned a lot from Dr. Dorceta Taylor’s book, the Rise of the American Conservation Movement, and still have a long way to go. I have also been inspired by a pair of truly great sustainability visionaries with whom I have been fortunate to have crossed paths personally: Drs. Donella Meadows and Elinor Ostrom.
Do you recommend any books, podcasts, or other resources that have had an impact on your life or work?
Spencer: I’m a sucker for economics podcasts. My two favorites are Freakonomics and Planet Money. They basically show how and why the real world works. Or doesn’t. The podcasts tell these fascinating stories that intertwine motivations, markets, personal passions, and frequently, mistakes. I find all kinds of ways to apply these lessons to my own life and my conservation work.
What is the most important/useful strategy in your conservation and stewardship toolbox?
Spencer: Finding out what motivates people, whether it’s a landowner, a policy-maker, or a colleague, is critical to making connections and getting things done.
Where is your favorite place to recreate in the Northeast? What makes it special?
Spencer: It’s a toss-up between the wilds of Katahdin in Baxter State Park and the salt marshes by my home near Long Island Sound.
What advice would you give to the next generation of conservationists?
Spencer: Technical skills and credentials are important for the résumé, but people skills make or break your career.
What advice have you received that has stuck with you?
Spencer: Focus on what’s important to you.
How does your work connect to 30 x 30 or the Wildlands & Woodlands Vision?
Spencer: Within our Highstead conservation finance program, we are always looking for ways to increase the funding and policies that will be required to achieve both 30 x 30 and the much more ambitious Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities vision for New England.
Lina Farias, Doris Duke Conservation Scholar with the Yale School of the Environment and Highstead Fellow, attended the 2021 Conservation Finance Bootcamp during her time at Highstead this summer. Lina recounted her her crash course at the 2021 Conservation Finance Boot Camp for the Conservation Finance Network website from her perspective as an Organismal Biology and Ecology major at Colorado College. An excerpt and a link to the full article are provided below.
I’m someone who has always seen conservation as the work done by field biologists on restoration properties and in wildlife rehabilitation centers. As I sat through sessions on debt and ratios, I couldn’t help but think to myself “are all these numbers really that important?” It turns out: yes they are.
That’s the main lesson I registered as I dove into my internship at the Highstead Foundation by joining the virtual 2021 Boot Camp. It felt worlds away from the work I did as a biologist in college. Green bonds, carbon offsets, private equity investors, conservation easements, corporate social responsibilities, and voluntary surcharges were swirling through my mind as I stared at my computer screen seeing presenter after presenter. Each was giving me new vocabulary, but more centrally, each was giving financial advice to dozens of other conservation organizations. I now know that these terms drive strategies and that these strategies drive the capital that enables research and restoration projects to continue.
That’s a profound lesson for me. I have always envisioned myself as the wildlife field biologist who camps in the woods or sleeps on a boat for months on end observing the ways the natural world works. The idea of crunching endless numbers in the effort to come up with the money for a project was a side of conservation I had brushed away as if it were somebody else’s job. But while attending the boot camp, I found that there was a difference between fundraising and financing and this difference seemed to reflect in whether an organization could bring in enough capital to sustain its projects. This clarity came from Peter Stein, Managing Director of the Lyme Timber Company and co-founder of the Conservation Finance Network, when he stated, “Fundraising is money you do not need to pay back while financing is money you do need to pay back – often with interest.” The field of conservation finance, he said, is “an emerging sector that seeks to find new financial vehicles and approaches to attract funding for conservation.”
Embracing its role in building capacity among conservation organizations, Highstead has begun a new spotlight series focusing on new and innovative ways that conservation organizations finance their projects. This spotlight will highlight The Ricci Property/Mill River Watershed Conservation Project completed in partnership between the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority(RWA), based in New Haven; the Cheshire Land Trust; and the town of Cheshire, CT.
The Mill River, Cheshire, CT
This joint effort among three very different entities aimed to buy a 45-acre property for open space, recreation, and watershed conservation. While an unusual arrangement, there is a growing awareness that having a water utility join forces with a conservation group can achieve important conservation goals.
To better understand why this partnership worked so well and why the RWA is so committed to conservation, Doris Duke Conservation Science Fellow Lina Farias conducted separate interviews with two key players in the transaction: John Triana from the RWA and David Schrumm from the Cheshire Land Trust to get their different perspectives on the purchase. John Triana, who has been with RWA for 27 years, is the real estate manager in charge of their land purchases, while David Schrumm is part of the Cheshire Land Trust and guided the purchase of the land. Their remarks are excerpted here.
John, can you tell me a little more about the history of conservation at the RWA?
John Triana, Regional Water Authority
John: The Regional Water Authority was created by legislation in 1977, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s and the early 2000s that there was a concerted effort to acquire and protect land for watershed conservation. This was because of Claire Bennett, the Chair of the RWA’s Five-member Authority, who was a passionate conservationist and made it her mission to allocate millions of dollars to buying land in order to conserve the watershed lands in the New Haven area. This initial passion resulted in the RWA buying over 1800 acres for the first ten years before the mid-2000s housing crisis bubble. During that period, the cost of an acre of land shot up, and a change in leadership meant that the RWA was no longer buying as much land as they once had. The real estate market challenges led the RWA to create a matrix system to prioritize properties of interest within the watershed using 14 different variables measuring conservation value and relevance to the RWA mission. This matrix has allowed the RWA to own over 27,000 acres of land, with most of it being used for watershed protection.
Could you walk us through the Mill River Project from your perspectives?
David Schrumm, Cheshire Land Trust
David: So this land was originally on the RWAs radar before it was on the Cheshire Land trust’s which I’m sure John will discuss. The point where the Cheshire Land Trust became involved was when the land developer, John Ricci, reached out to us and asked whether we would be willing to purchase the land from him for conservation. We were interested in doing so, but the price was high. The Cheshire Land Trust applied for a grant specifically meant to protect watersheds. While waiting for the approval for this grant, I called John Triana as I knew the RWA had previously had interest in purchasing this land. He told me to wait for the $200,000 and reach back out. We did eventually receive that grant, and when we reached back out to the RWA, they decided to pitch in $225,000. After that, both the RWA and the Cheshire Land Trust went to the town of Cheshire to ask the town to pitch in the last $250,000 and they would receive full ownership of the open space. Luckily they did so, and through the trust of all three entities we were able to complete the project.
John: Yes, from the RWA’s perspective, once we heard that David had received the $200,000 grant, we became very interested in this land again. Years before, the RWA had identified this property using the matrix as a high priority for watershed protection. We were originally all set to buy the property from the original owner, but she unfortunately passed before signing the letter of intent. After her passing, no deal was ever reached with her son. It wasn’t until many years later that the developer, John Ricci, bought the land and contacted the Cheshire Land Trust. The developer was originally asking for a much more significant amount of money but lowered his price eventually because he was also interested in conserving the land. When we brought in the town and they agreed to be the owner, the RWA would be an easement owner which would allow the town to do more with the land than the RWA would be able to (trails, parks, maintenance, etc). The town was then able to apply for an open space grant (Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program – OSWLA) which led to the RWA and the town of Cheshire receiving money back from this purchase to then be able to invest in other properties.
Why does a water utility company care about land conservation?
John: While the RWA has always looked to acquire property for watershed protection, the concerted effort really began with Claire Bennett. Because of her passion, she pushed for the RWA’s efforts in purchasing land for conservation which set the precedent to continue doing so even through leadership changes. It is difficult to center a utility around conservation because much of the time the leadership/board are business-oriented professionals who are not used to prioritizing conservation. The RWA began with a very passionate leader which is the reason we have continued with conservation as a main focus.
I’ve read that the RWA is a member of a Regional Conservation Partnership. Could you tell us more about these partnerships?
John: Yes, the RCP we are a part of is called the South Central Regional Land Conservation Alliance. Connecticut has what is called “Home Rule” which means that each municipality can decide how to do things on their own, and there doesn’t have to be unity between boundaries. The point of this partnership is to cross those boundaries and work together on conservation projects. This is especially important when discussing watershed conservation and protection. I believe it is important to have this cross-boundary partnership because watersheds cross municipal boundaries. In order to conserve them, municipalities need to work together.
How would you recommend conservation groups reaching out to utility companies for financial partnerships? Were there any challenges?
John: This may be difficult, but I would recommend that conservation groups start reaching out to the leaders of utility companies. This is because these people have the most power within the company and control where the money goes. If conservation groups can convince these board members/leaders that their projects would also benefit them, then the company will be more likely to participate.
David: We have never had issues with working with the RWA, and a large part of that is because we have been working together for so many years that we have built a lot of trust in one another’s commitment to conserving land. We work with the RWA because we know of their commitment to watershed protection because of their many land purchases in the past and past projects we have done with them. In the end, this project worked because everyone has proven their commitment to conservation which allows for a joint partnership with similar goals.
About the Author
Lina Farias is a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar with the Yale School of the Environment who was a fellow with the Highstead Foundation during the summer of 2021. She shows a strong interest in watershed conservation and is particularly interested in bridging communities with different beliefs and goals in order to complete conservation projects that are inclusive and beneficial for everyone. She is currently a senior at Colorado College and is finishing her Organismal Biology and Ecology major. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she hopes to gain more experience in the marine biology field and eventually obtain an M.S in oceanology or marine animal behavior.
For six weeks each summer, the ALPINE Summer Institute brings together students and early career professionals interested in conservation to learn, network and get inspired for the next steps in their careers.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the Summer Institute into an online, rather than in-person experience, it has delivered distinct benefits says Marianne Jorgensen, ALPINE manager of the program.
“We had more applications to participate this year than ever,” said Marianne. “We’ve also drawn participants from across the country. Yes, our focus is New England, but the diverse perspectives of conservationists from across the country adds a new dimension.”
Program candidates are selected for their academic and career interests in land conservation. This year’s participants include residents of Puerto Rico, Oregon, and Montana, as well as residents from across New England.
The 2021 ALPINE Summer Institute program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as early career professionals, to learn more about the theory and practice of large landscape conservation. The program is staffed by experts in the field of land conservation from the Lincoln Institute, the Harvard Forest, the Highstead Foundation, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 2021, ALPINE Summer Institute participants who successfully complete all course requirements will have the opportunity to earn 2 academic credits from UMass Amherst.
Each week of the program includes speakers who are experts in different aspects of large landscape conservation, as well as a wide array of readings. Topics range from the history of large landscape conservation to land preservation tools and techniques; case studies and diversity, equity and inclusion in conservation.
The capstone of the six-week program is the projects completed by each attendee. As part of the application process, each student identifies a large landscape challenge and then applies the tools, guidance and mentorship available from speakers and ALPINE leadership to identify solutions that can be implement following the program’s completion.
“This is the most exciting part of the program,” says Marianne. “Large landscape conservation is critical to achieving the Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities vision and addressing a myriad of climate, ecological and social problems. Having such thoughtful committed advocates taking the tools and connections from the program and applying them to real-world problems, gets us closer to our goals.”
The 2022 Summer Institute application process will open in November.
The television news program, Chronicle from WCVB-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, recently aired a series on conservation, forestry, and recreation in the remote North Maine Woods. The episode follows the experiences of local and regional residents, advocates, and innovators like Wildlands & Woodlands partner, the New England Forestry Foundation (NEFF), who are dedicated to advancing forest conservation and fighting climate change in New England. View the recent spotlight on the power of protecting Maine’s forests as embedded videos below or visit the Chronicle website to view segment one, segment two, segment three, and segment four.
Segment One: The Carbon Fighting Power of Maine’s North Woods (06:28)
Begin by meeting Igor and Karen Sikorsky, of Bradford Camps on the shores of Munsungan Lake, Maine. They are stewards and partners with the New England Forestry Foundation for the Pingree Partnership, the largest conservation easement in the history of the United States, permanently protecting 762,192 Maine forest acres from development. NEFF’s executive director, Robert Perschel, and senior forest science and policy fellow Alec Giffen suggest NEFF’s Exemplary Forestry standards as a way to manage New England’s forests and maximize their carbon storage potential as a significant climate solution.
Segment Two: The Problem With Deforestation (06:03)
Segment two sets the scene on the other side of Mount Katahdin, where a healthy forest was clear cut and replaced by monocultured trees by a South African logging company in the 1980s. Ownership of that forestland was transferred to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). Steve Tatko, AMC’s director of conservation and land management, shares their approach to sustainable management of almost 75,000 forest acres south of Katahdin in Maine’s Hundred-Mile Wilderness after more than a century of intensive harvesting.
*Note: Although the segment title indicates deforestation, we offer the correction that forest harvesting, even when intensive, is not the same as deforestation. Deforestation is restricted to replacing a forest with another land cover like pavement or buildings.
Segment Three: Nature Regrows Forests Naturally, Can Humans Do The Same? (05:29)
Learn how nature regenerates forests and how careful, deliberate forestry like those in NEFF’s Exemplary Forestry Initiative applies the ecological ways nature improves wildlife habitat, grows better wood for commercial markets, and helps mitigate climate change all at the same time.
Segment Four: Can a Building Made of Wood Fight Climate Change? (03:04)
Now that we know how trees are powerful for absorbing carbon, we are introduced to wooden buildings, where carbon can be stored in our cities and towns. Next, Chronicle visits Dr. Peggi Clouston, a professor of timber engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She shares how cross-laminated timber or mass timber replaces the use of heavy greenhouse gas emitting concrete and steel processes.
Looking to catch up on the latest news about the real-world impacts of conservation in New England? Dig into these six stories from across the region and beyond.
1.Conserving Plant Diversity by the Native Plant Trust and The Nature Conservancy, June 2021
Conserving Plant Diversity is a new report and integrated mapping tool from the Native Plant Trust and The Nature Conservancy that details the specific land protection action necessary to save New England plant diversity while supporting 30 x 30 goals for the region. Read more.
2.Since When Have Trees Existed Only for Rich Americans? by Ian Leahy and Yaryna Serkez, The New York Times, June 30, 2021
The authors investigate the relationships between the number of trees in a community and past environmentally racist and discriminatory policies. They outline current tree equity initiatives and opportunities that improve health outcomes, quality of life, slow the climate crisis, and support economic growth in lower-income communities and communities of color. Learn more.
3. How marginalized communities in the South are paying the price for ‘green energy’ in Europeby Majile de Puy Kamp, CNN, July 9, 2021
In 2009, the European Union instated its Renewable Energy Directive, including biomass from harvested trees as a viable renewable energy source along with wind and solar. However, the increased demand for wood pellets from the American Southeast, the largest wood producing region globally, is harming marginalized communities and perpetuating environmental racism in places like Northhampton County, North Carolina. Learn more.
4. Janet Mills signs 1st-in-the-nation bill to shift recycling costs to packaging producersby Caitlin Andrews, Bangor Daily News, July 13, 2021
Maine recently became the first state in the nation to pass legislation that requires packaging producers to pay for recycling costs instead of consumers and communities. Read more.
5. Forest carbon trajectories: Consequences of alternative land-use scenarios in New Englandby Meghan Graham MacLean, Matthew J. Duveneck, Joshua Plisinski, Luca L. Morreale, Danelle Laflower, Jonathan R. Thompson, Global Environmental Change Volume 69, July 2021
Harvard Forest, the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, New England Conservatory, and the Department of Earth & Environment at Boston University examined the impacts of future land-use scenarios on New England forests and those effects on carbon stocks and emissions over a half-century. The modeling considers biomass energy harvesting scenarios, increased longer-term storage, reductions in net carbon emissions, and reductions in timber product consumption and how these strategies mitigate or increase climate change. Access the report.
6.Build Back a Better National Landscape Conservation Framework from the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the Alaska Conservation Foundation, April 2021
This framework reports that landscape-scale conservation is essential to achieving the Biden administration’s “30 x 30” conservation and biodiversity initiative, increase social equity, and combat the climate crisis. The framework provides recommendations for building a robust and connected national framework of United States landscape conservation efforts that are more effective, equitable, inclusive, and will endure for future generations. Read the recommendations.
