A Wildland and Woodland Vision for the New England Landscape: Local Conservation, Biodiversity and the Global Environment

Abstract

Most arguments that start "think globally/act locally" struggle to forge a convincing connection between these two scales of action. However, for New England and most of the eastern United States there is a direct link between effective forest protection and management and the global environment. As a consequence of sub-continental reforestation and growth since the 19th Century, residents across this region have a second chance to determine the fate of their natural landscape. The forests that blanket this region are young and growing rapidly, storing globally important amounts of carbon and thereby thwarting global climate change. Protecting these forests and managing them to generate products and store additional carbon will bring immense benefits to local communities and the world. The Wildlands and Woodlands proposal to protect and manage 50% of southern New England in forests provides a mechanism for achieving such ambitious local and global goals.