Changes to the Land: Four Scenarios for the Future of the Massachusetts Landscape
On December 11, 2013, we released the report Changes to the Land: Four Scenarios for the Future of the Massachusetts Landscape (link will download report) to an overwhelmingly positive response. It was covered by 60 different print, radio, and TV outlets; including an editorial in the Boston Globe.
We found that, if left unchecked, recent trends in the loss of forests to development will undermine significant conservation gains in Massachusetts, jeopardize water quality, and limit the natural landscape's ability to protect against climate change.
We researched and analyzed four plausible scenarios for what Massachusetts could look like in the future. The scenarios were developed by a group of forestry professionals, land-use planning and water policy experts, and conservation groups. The scenarios reflect contrasting patterns and intensities of land development, wood harvesting, conservation, and agriculture. The two-year study is unique in its forward-looking approach and its use of sophisticated computer models to conduct a detailed acre-by-acre analysis of the entire forested landscape of Massachusetts over 50 years.
The findings point to three broad policy directions: recommitting to land conservation, promoting sustainable forestry in the Commonwealth, and redoubling land-use planning and smart-growth efforts.
In addition to media outreach, we held several meetings with legislators including the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, the Senate Committee on Climate Change, and the lead sponsor on a major zoning reform bill. We also gave over a dozen presentations to the conservation and environmental policy community in the state to increase uptake and impact of the report.
The Massachusetts Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs spoke at our press conference and cited the effort as a leading example of sound science that can inform public policy. She said:
"Changes to the Land is a significant achievement and underscores the important value of Massachusetts forests for a range of natural and economic benefits – from clean water to wood products. The report also shows that different policy approaches with regard to smart growth, forest conservation and sustainable forestry have far-ranging effects when projected 50 years into the future, and across the landscape using this robust model.
One of the greatest values of this report is that it makes all of us pause and consider not only our work, but our Commonwealth and all it has to offer, in a new light....Changes to the Land is a bold reminder of the need for continued action and the very high stakes involved in the choices we are all making.
Thank you to Harvard University, Harvard Forest, the Smithsonian, and all those who worked so hard to produce Changes to the Land. It gives all of us who work at the intersection of science and public policy valuable information to consider when making decisions about programs, regulations and investments that will impact the Commonwealth for generations to come."
I invite you to read our report, look at supplementary materials, and post comments below.