In 2022, the Woodlands Partnership, with help from local towns and organizations, and with support from the state, was successful in getting the region classified as eligible for Forest Legacy funding.
The Forest Legacy Program provides federal grant funding to protect environmentally important forestland from conversion to non-forest uses. In this voluntary program, landowners who wish to protect their land with the program may sell the property in fee simple, or if they wish to retain ownership of the property, sell a conservation restriction. This legally binding agreement prohibits certain uses such as development, but allows the property to be managed for forestry, recreation, and other conservation values.
In Massachusetts, the Forest Legacy Program is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation in cooperation with the US Forest Service. Since joining the program in 1993,
Massachusetts FLP has protected more than 16,000 acres of forest land on more than 100 properties. Read more here.
