The Landscape Scale
Forests are one of the most important resources in the MassAcorn area covering 82% of the region, over 80% of these forests are owned by private landowners. Each acre owned by you and the 14,700 other private landowners fit together like the pieces in a puzzle. Many landowner goals require area much larger than typical ownerships.
MassACORN features tools to help you learn more about your landscape. The MapServer allows you to “see your land” and the resources around it. Learning more about your landscape also means talking with friends and neighbors to share information or experiences, find out what they're doing, or consider some joint activities. MassACORN allows you to exchange information with other landowners. You can also e-mail your questions to an expert.
Wildlife | Recreation | Land Conservation | Forest Management | Water
Wildlife
Some wildlife have habitat requirements that extend beyond an individual property. A few examples of animal home ranges include:
- Northern Short-tailed Shrew - 1 to 1¼ acres
- Snowshoe Hare - 10acres
- Eastern Garter Snake - 5acres
- Black bear - 15 mile radius
- White-tailed deer - 2 to 3 sq mi.
- Fisher - 4 to 7 mile radius
Some wildlife require large forest blocks of habitat - see Mapserver to find out where these are in the massacorn area. Looking at the habitat around your land can help inform your wildlife management decisions. Coordinating with a neighbor to improve habitat can have a larger impact for wildlife. Speaking with a forester can help you learn more about your landscape and evaluate options that will help you meet your goals.
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Recreation
Most recreational pursuits can be improved by working with surrounding landowners to increase the area in which to recreate. Trails are a great example. Linking trails - hiking, snowmobiling, mountain biking, or horse back riding - from one property to another can give all the neighbors involved more trail to enjoy. It can also provide more people to help maintain and monitor them.
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Land Conservation
As a forest landowner, you own a part of the Highlands landscape. It may be land that you cherish and that you want to leave as a legacy to your children and future generations. You may want to ensure that the character of the highlands, the wildlife habitat, or the quality of the water is maintained. The bad news is that unless you take action to protect your land, the odds are strongly in favor of its eventual development. But you can take steps to protect your land. Talking with your children about their plans and desires for the land and discussing your options with a local land trust are excellent ways to get started.
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Forest Management
Working with your neighbors to implement forest management has many advantages, including increasing the volume of wood being sold, which can increase the amount someone bids for your wood. Coordinated timber sales also provide the opportunity to share stream crossings to improve water quality or share landings (roadside areas where logs are pulled to for pick-up and delivery to a mill) to reduce the impact of the harvest. Speaking with a licensed forester is an excellent way to explore the opportunity to have a joint timber sale with a neighbor.
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Water
MassACORN is focused on the two major watersheds of the highland region the Westfield and the Deerfield. Forests protect our water supplies by among other things filtering runoff from muddy roads in the spring as well as sand and salts from winter road maintenance.
Forests play a very important role in the cold-water fisheries of both watersheds, providing shade (cooling) for trout, structure (as trees die and fall into the river) and nutrients (leaves).. Noticeable changes in water quality develop in watersheds once approximately 1/3 of a watershed is converted from forests to other uses. The decisions you make for your land impacts your watershed.
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