What are Wildlands?
As defined in the 2023 report Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future:
Wildlands are tracts of any size and condition, permanently protected from development, in which management is explicitly intended to allow natural processes to prevail with “free will” and minimal human interference. Humans have been part of nature for millennia and can coexist within and with Wildlands without intentionally altering their structure, composition, or function.
Foster, D., E.E. Johnson, B.R. Hall, J. Leibowitz, B. Donahue, E.K. Faison, J. Sayen, et al. “Wildlands in New England Past, Present, and Future.” Harvard University: Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands and Communities, 2023. Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future
Other common names for Wildlands include wilderness, reserve, natural area preserve, strict nature preserve, and forever wild. Specific terms that make Wildlands stewardship explicit (regardless of how the land is named) include natural area stewardship, proforestation, passive management, and forever wild.
What is the 2023 report Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future?
Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future (Foster et al., 2023) is a major collaboration among Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands, and Communities; Harvard Forest; Northeast Wilderness Trust; and Highstead. More than 150 individuals and organizations contributed to the publication and associated data. It is fully available online: Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future.
The report is a landmark study that delineates the science, history, and ownership of “Wildlands” – land with an explicit intent to prioritize natural processes. One major resource in the report is a “Wildlands Map” that documents this special subset of conservation lands.
Wildlands in New England: Past, Present, and Future answers three important questions:
- Where are Wildlands located in New England?
- What are the characteristics of these Wildlands?
- What is their current protection status?
The report highlights the urgent need to establish more Wildlands, improve existing Wildlands and strengthen programs that support them. The report provides a critical baseline and a path forward for advancing policies and securing funding for Wildlands in all six New England states. Wildlands in New England: State Summary Downloads.
What is the Wildlands Campaign?
Our Wildlands Campaign is committed to increasing the amount of permanently protected forest land in Massachusetts and New England by identifying existing and potential wildlands, ensuring that they are eligible for and recorded on the interactive Wildlands Map, and taking other key legislative, administrative, and collaborative actions.
Setting land aside for the benefit of both the public and the natural world safeguards ecological integrity and affirms our respect for nature.
Why pursue the Wildlands Campaign now?
Prioritizing some of our land for wild nature, particularly to allow our recovering forests to grow and evolve as natural areas – similar to National Parks – should be a cornerstone of environmental policy and action. This reflects current scientific understanding, public opinion, and financial responsibility. According to the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (ref), protection and recovery of existing forest ecosystems must be a top priority. If we do not begin to prioritize nature, we risk further destabilizing – to the point of collapse – the core of the very systems upon which everything else depends.
New England is blessed with ample water and beautiful forests, and there is enormous need and potential for Wildlands protection. After widespread clearing by European settlers, the Northeastern U.S. represents the most successful temperate forest recovery in recorded history.
New England has approximately 40 million acres of forest, but only about 1.32 million acres (3.3%) have a known and explicit Wildland intent. When natural areas are not fully protected as Wildlands, they remain open to human activities that can degrade ecosystems, disrupt wildlife corridors, and jeopardize the stability of the natural systems that sustain life.
Why are Wildlands so important and why do we need more of them?
Wildlands represent a long-term commitment to sustaining the health and vitality of the natural world – an essential foundation for all life on Earth. Wildlands, and wild forests in particular, regulate climate, protect biodiversity, secure water resources, mitigate natural disasters, and support human mental and physical well‑being. These lands and waters form the backbone of ecological and community resilience. Protecting them is a durable, low‑cost, and adaptable approach to land stewardship.
As the Report notes, Wildlands can serve as ecological reference areas for scientific research, forest management, and conservation. A Wildlands designation can still accommodate activities such as passive recreation, hunting, trail work, and invasive‑species management. The “intent” behind a Wildland may be permanent (legally binding) or based on current policy or management plans, though permanent protection is preferable.
Wildlands also safeguard existing old‑growth forests and create the conditions for future old‑growth to emerge. Many forests in New England – especially in the southern part of the region—are naturally transitioning toward old‑growth, the dynamic and self‑organizing state of a mature forest. According to a recent U.S. Forest Service report, old‑growth in this region ranges from 100 to 160 years depending on forest type. These older forests tend to be wetter, cooler, more biodiverse, and more resistant to invasive species.
By providing essential ecological services, Wildlands support both people and the countless species that inhabit them. They are a vital part of our natural heritage, offering recreational, spiritual, and educational opportunities that help communities connect with the land and ensure future generations can understand and appreciate its value.
Although technological progress has given us immense influence over nature, we have often acted without fully understanding the consequences. Like every other species in the web of life, humans depend entirely on the natural world for clean water, clean air, and food. Our survival is inseparable from the health of the ecosystems that sustain us.
What percentage of Massachusetts land has a known Wildland intent?
Massachusetts has about 5 million acres of land. Despite being 60% forested, little more than 2% of Massachusetts is currently identified as a Wildland, and most of that 2% is weakly protected state lands secured by an administrative designation or current management plan as “reserves.”
As shown in the schematic bar below, we can (and must) protect more forestland AND designate more Wildlands. The largest allocation of land in Massachusetts is Unconserved Forest. The smallest allocations are Conserved Agriculture and Wildlands. Massachusetts has more land that is in the Developed category compared to other New England states.
https://wildlandsandwoodlands.org/progress/dashboard/
What is the Wildlands Map?
The Wildlands Map is the most up-to-date record of where Wildlands are currently located throughout New England. The boundary, acreage, and owner of each Wildland is specified on the map. However, the map is a work in progress, and some lands with a Wildland intent may be missing. Any public or private land that is protected from development and has a Wildland intent can be added to the Wildlands Map, which is updated periodically by Harvard Forest.
Each New England state has a summary, and three Massachusetts Wildlands are featured (See Wildlands in New England: State Summary Downloads – Wildlands & Woodlands)
How much land should be preserved as Wildlands?
Scientists estimate that globally, 30-50% of our land and water needs to be in a natural or near-natural condition (i.e., an intact or recovering Wildland, with limited ongoing intervention). There is broad consensus that this is the minimum for long-term planetary wellbeing.(reference needed)
The Wildlands Campaign is not suggesting that all forests must be protected as Wildlands, but as the report points out, more Wildlands are urgently needed — much more than what is currently protected. A sufficient quality, quantity, and connectivity of natural areas is the key to clean water and public health. Massachusetts has enough land to meet multiple needs and still set aside a sufficient amount of Wildlands for the future.
Nature needs more than 2%!
What is the most important land to protect as Wildlands?
While Wildlands can be land of any size and current condition, the highest priority Wildlands are large areas of connected and unfragmented natural habitat; natural lands protecting water (headwaters; riparian zones of streams and rivers; wetlands, and vernal pools); wildlife corridors; mature and old forests (especially >100 yrs); and any areas with special species, critical habitat, or few invasive plants. Many people are shocked to find out that some of our most precious places — including mature and old-growth forests held in the public trust — have no special protection. This lack of recognition and protection puts them at risk.
What is the difference between Wildlands and most conservation land, including Woodlands?
Conservation land (i.e., private land, land trust land, or public land owned by the state or a municipality) is typically protected from development but is typically not protected from many other activities that can degrade natural ecosystems. Without an explicit written Wildland “intent” (i.e., a plan, policy, deed, law, etc.), most conservation land remains available for (and in some cases is dedicated to) farming and/or forestry (i.e., it can be planted, plowed, clear-cut, logged, burned, sprayed with chemicals, etc.). Identifying Wildlands and strengthening their protection are imperative.
Should Wildlands be managed?
Best management practices for Wildlands include:
- allow forest to evolve in a predominantly natural state, consistent with a Wildland intent;
- if open to the public, trails for passive recreation can welcome people of all ages;
- monitor regularly, and consider a plan for ongoing data collection and photopoints;
- if dogs are allowed, keep them leashed;
- visitors should stay on the trail and abide by general principles of “leave no trace;”
- manage invasive plants as needed, based on best practices; and
- monitor boundaries to prevent encroachment, dumping, etc.
Were there Wildlands in New England before the arrival of European colonialists and their widespread land clearing?
Historically, most of New England was a Wildland, even while populated by Native Peoples before the arrival of Europeans. According to the Wildlands in New England report: Humans have been part of nature for millennia and can coexist within and with Wildlands without intentionally altering their structure, composition, or function.
In some areas of New England, there were significant human impacts associated with pre-European settlements, especially along rivers and shorelines, although in most cases clearings were only 15-20 acres in size. However, because these seasonal settlements were concentrated in low-land areas near waterways, the New England uplands remained predominantly a Wildland. Although used for hunting, gathering, ceremonial practices, and travel corridors, forested uplands were largely “untrammeled,” and supported an abundance of native plants and animals.
During this time New England was a region where changes in the climate and natural disturbances were the predominant forces that controlled the pace and nature of ecological change. With the exception of localized villages and planting areas, human activity played a more subtle role on the landscape and natural processes predominated. As forest-clearing by Europeans subsided and agricultural lands were abandoned, the native forests of New England grew back.
Now, New England is heralded as the most successful example of temperate forest recovery in recorded history.
How can you help grow the Wildlands Map?
- Identify protected land intended as a nature preserve. Is it on the Map?
Review the criteria and, with landowner permission, a Wildland can be added! https://wildlandsandwoodlands.org/resources/wildlands-checklist/
- Do you know a municipal forest that could or should be a Wildland?
With a policy or a natural stewardship plan, the forest can be added to the Map!
- Ask your land trust: is any of their land intended as a nature preserve?
When the intent is made explicit, all of these Wildlands can be added to the Map!
- Help landowners protect Wildlands great and small.
- Large private lands, including those owned by land trusts, may be eligible for permanent “Forever Wild” protection by Northeast Wilderness Trust www.newildernesstrust.net
- Private land (any size) can be protected by a land trust or other non-profit.
- Nominate a public or private forest for the Old Growth Forest Network.
Contact www.oldgrowthforest.net to determine eligibility.
- Support legislation for permanent Wildland reserves in Massachusetts.
Talk to your legislator about state land. Find out more at www.savemassforests.org
- Support New National Parks.
Find out more at www.RESTORE.org
How can I get involved? What can I do?
Preserving Massachusetts state and municipal land as Wildlands is one of the most important things we can do right now. Public lands belong to the people of Massachusetts. The most impactful action is passing three pieces of legislation that would protect clean water and protect more of our state land as wildlands. You can find these bills at the Save Mass Forests website.
Learn more about our campaign here, use our resource list to learn more about Wildlands, find talks and articles about related topics, and see how to add to the Wildlands Map. Attend our monthly meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
To stay up to date on campaign actions, events, and info, sign up for the Climate Action Now Regenerative Farming, Forests & Food Systems google group and Climate Action Now, Western MA newsletter.
If you don’t find what you are looking for, contact us at [email protected]
More information and references can be found on our Resources for the Campaign page. If you don’t find what you are looking for, contact us at [email protected]