A recent headline heralded the commonwealth’s purchase of a woodlot in Deerfield (“DCR Protects 262 acres of forest,” Oct. 21, 2025). Much as a new postage stamp might be added to a vast album, this former farm woodlot joins over 450,000 acres controlled by state agency DCR. It is just one of many woodlots recently changing hands in a notable wave of deeded land protection in our area.
Establishing deeded protection is a crucial step in preserving forests for future benefit. Yes, we all seem to need a roof and electricity. But we also need forests. Isn’t it nice to know that the Deerfield woodlot’s 1.5 miles of forested frontage will never be punctured by driveways or plastered with solar panels?
But with deeded protection also comes responsibility for long-term stewardship. It begins with ideas and a plan. By accepting USDA Forest Service money to acquire the Deerfield woodlot, DCR has agreed to do just that.
As stipulated in the deed, the purpose of the required plan is “to help ensure the long-term sustainability and protection of the forest resources and other conservation values of the property.” The required plan must meet certain Forest Service standards and must be reviewed and approved at least every 10 years.
Developing a Forest Stewardship Plan is one of the options listed in the deed. These plans are typically prepared by private-sector foresters for private landowners or municipalities through a DCR-administered program. It turns out that the Deerfield woodlot has one of these plans. Full disclosure, I’m the forester who prepared it. The approved plan (actually two non-contiguous plans) is on file with DCR and is valid until 2029. As a new owner, DCR could adopt this plan as its own, modify it, or develop a different plan altogether.
The current Forest Stewardship Plan describes a diverse and maturing forest with 23 tree species, including white pine and five species of oak, plus maples, birches, hickories, black gum and even sassafras. And it documents appreciable standing wood volume. Timber was last cut, on a partial and protective basis, around 2009 and, with the right precautions, could certainly be cut again any time. But this is just one of many options to consider.
Typical of local Forest Stewardship Plans, the existing plan breaks the acreage into smaller management units known as “stands,” each with its own unique characteristics or focus. A total of 12 stands are delineated on maps that also show streams and wetlands, vernal pools, bedrock outcrops, stone walls, access points, trails, boundary details, a spring box, a large patch of trees that blew down, and areas of old, large or uncommon trees. The maps also show where non-native invasive plants are encroaching.
Too often in forest policy discussions, nuanced ideas get lost in sweeping, black and white categories such as “wild” or “managed.” The current Forest Stewardship Plan reflects an appreciation of the forest in small, walkable extents under close purview. It follows the traditional idea of integrating multiple objectives in close proximity. Here, maple sugaring, timber and firewood production, a variety of wildlife species and habitats, fresh air, hiking, bird watching and hunting are mutually compatible within the same small acreage. What’s more, all of these benefits can be had within a framework of soil and water protection, big trees, ongoing ecological recovery, thriving biodiversity, and functional resilience. If successful, then the oft-cited objectives of carbon sequestration, carbon storage and climate change adaptation will be automatically served as well. As they say, what’s not to love?
Yet, while DCR’s new Deerfield woodlot is protected from development, it remains vulnerable to other threats. The current plan identifies non-native invasive plants as a particular risk and sounds a special alarm about bittersweet, a vine that chokes out young trees. Most areas are not yet infested with it. But left to spread unchecked, bittersweet vines increasingly interfere with the natural process of growing new trees, progressively degrading the forest and thus compromising every conceivable stewardship objective.
Much of the forest in Massachusetts faces one or more degrading threats to its long-term health, biodiversity, function and resilience. This is ecological reality, independent of societal classifications such as protected, wild or managed. These threats are observable; if ignored, they will only compound over time.
Each woodlot, including the DCR’s new Deerfield woodlot, is a microcosm of the larger forest, a chance to practice thoughtful and pragmatic stewardship on a detailed scale, and a chance to work towards a common goal of a thriving statewide forest.
Michael Mauri is a forester based in South Deerfield.