Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy: Conserve and Manage Forests

An important set of Nature-Based Solutions relates to forests. Forests absorb stormwater and slow runoff. They provide us with clean water, clean air, biodiversity, forest products, and recreational opportunities. They are a critical component of our ecosystem. Additionally, they remove (sequester) carbon from the atmosphere and store it (above and below ground). Massachusetts is currently 62% forest cover, the 8th most forested state in the US and the 3rd most densely populated state. However, forest cover in Massachusetts is decreasing and this means our environment's quality is being diminished and that carbon is being lost to the atmosphere.

Map of forest carbon storage - map by www.nsaci2.org/COLE Image left: Above-ground storage of carbon. The Northeast and Northwest have the highest above-and below-ground carbon sequestration in the United States. (https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/carbon/tools/#cole)

Forest ownership in the watershed includes private landowners, land trusts, and local, state and federal governments. The many types of owners have a wide range of goals for their forested land, such as income generation, recreation, ecology, and protection of water supplies or other natural resources. From the perspective of climate change, independent of other goals, maximizing the amount of forested land and managing forests for carbon storage and biodiversity are critically important.

The most important forest mitigation strategy is to stop the conversion of forest land to non-forest land uses and begin increasing forest cover. All forests sequester and store carbon, have significant ecological value, and provide numerous additional environmental benefits. Maximizing forest cover is critical to addressing the core causes and impacts of climate change.
Non-managed, or minimally managed, forests generally provide the highest amount of carbon storage and highest ecological value. Older trees tend to provide the most carbon storage and forests with old-growth characteristics, such as a diversity of species, ages and size of trees, the presence of snags, large downed logs, and scattered canopy gaps provide especially valuable habitat for a wide range of animals. Although some younger forests may remove carbon from the atmosphere more rapidly than old-growth forests, the net effect of harvesting is a reduction in stored carbon.
When landowner goals for forests include income or other objectives, managing the forests to also preserve and enhance some old growth characteristics can retain extra carbon storage and reduce ecological losses.
Educating forest owners about management options is essential to ensure that the best solutions are utilized to meet owner needs and ensure carbon storage and biodiversity.
Wildlands and Woodlands, a science-based conservation vision for the New England Landscape developed as a collaboration among forestry organizations and conservation groups in New England, sets a goal of permanently protecting a minimum of 70% of the total land in New England as forests to be sustainably managed for timber harvesting and other values, plus at least 7% conserved as farmland. Additionally, Wildlands and Woodlands recommends 10% of the permanently protected forests be conserved as wildlands to protect biodiversity and wilderness. While those goals may be low, they do express the right directions to be moving. The NRWA is a collaborator in the Wildlands and Woodlands Partnership.
The Forest Legacy Program, a Federal program in which the NRWA has been a collaborator, has also played a significant role in conserving forests. Read more about NRWA's Forest Legacy projects.

An Example: Restoring Old Growth Characteristics

Old growth characteristics image

Numerous scientific studies point to the importance of forests in storing carbon. Old growth forests play a role as carbon sinks as they continue to accumulate carbon in their wood and their soils actively capture carbon. Forests with old growth characteristics also provide the highest level of landscape diversity and ecological value.

For managed forests, including smaller woodlots, such as the typical landowner is more likely to own and manage, the opportunity exists to restore old growth characteristics as a natural solution to climate change through modern forestry practices such as:

leave “legacy” trees and very large trees 25+ inches diameter;
leave large standing dead trees;
leave large downed logs;
allow for long-term accumulation of coarse woody material;
support multi-aged trees and a variety of species;
allow and create gaps in the canopy; and
limit soil disturbance during forest management.

Educating owners of large and small forests that their trees contribute to climate resilience, that “legacy trees” are particularly important for their role in carbon storage, and about the ways that targeted forest management practices mitigate climate change is essential.

Old growth characteristics table