Blog entries

Ch 61B an Excellent Fit for Many Landowners

Paul Catanzaro — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:53:33 +0100

Landowners across the state are facing increasing property taxes which can make it difficult to maintain the land as undeveloped. The State’s current use programs (Ch. 61, 61A, and 61B) offer an opportunity to reduce property taxes in return for providing the public benefits that these lands provide.
Chapter 61 has a focus on timber management, and requires a 10-year forest
mRead More...

Learning from Others: Norton's Jennifer Carlino

Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:51:25 +0100

What can towns do to be sure their community's resources are conserved? Learn from energetic and dedicated municipal officials from across the state, like Norton's Jennifer Carlino. In her post as Conservation Agent, Jennifer has the opportunity to do everything from wetland protection to field studies identifying rare species habitat, vernal pool certification, land protection, anRead More...

On the Right Track with Janet Pesaturo

Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:50:59 +0100

Support for forest conservation can come in many forms. Animal tracking is one great way to engage people and communities while providing valuable information to inform land conservation and land use decisions. Keystone Cooperator Janet Pesaturo is proof of that.

Janet has found herself on a track she didn’t expect, and she’s enjoying where it’s leading. Nine years ago Janet was a practRead More...

Hilltown Land Trust: Combining Land Conservation and Forest Management

Paul Catanzaro — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:00:00 +0100

For an all-volunteer organization, the Hilltown Land Trust has a substantial list of accomplishments. Founded in 1986 by community members who were concerned about the potential loss of their open space, the trust has acquired 23 (soon to be 25) conservation restrictions, three agricultural preservation restrictions, and it owns six properties, all within the nine westernmost towns of Hampshire CountRead More...

Conservation's Front Line with Keystone Cooperator Jassy Bratko

Paul Catanzaro — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Jassy Bratko is committed to conservation. A 10 year member of Hubbardston's Open Space Committee, one of a handful of remaining founding members, she has been instrumental in a number of the committee's key achievements. Though originally from England, Jassy settled with her husband, who was born nearby, in Hubbardston 25 years ago, and considers it her home. Her desire to be sureRead More...

WHIPping the Land into Shape: The Adams Property

Paul Catanzaro — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0100

Albert Adams seems to have fulfilled at least one of his dreams when he purchased some land five years ago, and he's been improving on it since. A sportsman and wildlife enthusiast, Albert was thrilled to get a good deal on 29 acres of woodland in Windsor, a parcel that abuts other woodlands and sits across the street from a wildlife management area.

"The Westfield runs through the back of the prRead More...

MassWoods Version 2 is Launched

Paul Catanzaro — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Three years ago we launched our website, MassWoods, to promote informed forest conservation (management and protection) decisions. We monitor the use of the site and have been very pleased with its success. Since its launch, MassWoods has had over 23,000 visits (an average of 24 per day), with an average visit length of over three minutes and almost four pages viewed per viRead More...

Help Inform Landowner Decisions, Celebrate Dinner Day!

Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100

When a Pennsylvania family wanted to find a way to make the world a better place, they convinced the Pennsylvania legislature to create an official state holiday called "Invite Your Neighbor to Dinner Day", on the second Saturday of January. Dinner day is a designated time when people invite not-so-familiar neighbors to have dinner with them with the hope that friendships will be formed which in turn will increase the strength of their communities. If this seems like a very small waRead More...

Keystone Training Announced

Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100

In ecology, a keystone species is one whose impacts on its environment are larger and greater than would be expected from one species. Like the Coverts program before, the Keystone Project educates forest owners and community leaders who have a significant impact on their communities. Help us identify these important people who can make the conservation difference!

Keystone Cooperators can either own forestland, be involved in the care and stewardship of a property, or be an acRead More...

Cases of Conservation: Borton Family

Paul Catanzaro — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

When landowners need to decide the future of their land, it can be very helpful to learn about the decisions that other landowners have made. There is much to be learned from the stories of other landowners who have faced similar decisions. One way we try to encourage this is through our Cases of Conservation, case studies of landowners who have used different conservation tools to meet their personal and financial objectives. A great example of a case study that demonstrates how conservationRead More...

Foresters and the Care of Your Land

Paul Catanzaro — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100

"Foresters and the Care of Your Land", a newly revised and updated pamphlet, is now available. The publication describes: what a forester is; the types of foresters; services provided by foresters; and how to find a forester in your town.

Woodlands are a wonderful and complex natural resource. Often the only difference between rewarding, enjoyable woodland ownership and poor, even disastrous decisions is good information.

Foresters are local resources to help landownRead More...

Conservation Tax Incentive Bill Renewed

Paul Catanzaro — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0100

2008 is an excellent year for landowners considering land conservation! The recently passed farm bill renews conservation tax incentives for landowners. The incentive had expired January 1st, but is now retroactive to the beginning of the year and will last through 2009.

The value of your conservation donation can now be deducted up to 50% of a person's Adjusted Gross Income, increased from 30%. The deduction can also be carried forward on the donor's federal taxes for 15 years, increRead More...

Annual Training Graduates 25 Keystone Cooperators

Paul Catanzaro — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:00:00 +0100

In ecology, a keystone species is one whose impacts on its environment are larger and greater than would be expected from one species. The UMass Forest Conservation's Keystone Project invests training and resources in keystonepeople, landowners and community leaders, with a disproportionate impact on their communities in a position to make a significant conservation difference. In return, those that are trained, called Keystone Cooperators, commit to working to support forest conservation in Read More...

Look Beyond Your Stone Walls

Paul Catanzaro — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100

There are over 46,500 landowners in Massachusetts who own 10 or more acres of land. Every day, the number of landowners increases and ownerships get smaller as people sub-divide and sell land. As land ownerships continue to get smaller, it becomes increasingly important to consider individual ownerships as a part of a larger whole and to work with neighbors to achieve mutual goals.

Each ownership fits together like pieces of a puzzle. Many landowner goals (e.g., improving wildlife habRead More...

Ask your friend

Paul Catanzaro — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100

When decisions arise in our lives - such as which car to buy - we often turn to trusted friends and family members to find out their opinion. In particular, friends that have recently made a similar decision can be a great source of information.

Decisions about your land are no different. Whether it is a decision to harvest timber or protect your land, talking to friends, especially those that have faced similar decisions, can be very helpful. Asking a friend to share their informatioRead More...

New Case Studies of Conservation

Paul Catanzaro — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100

MassWoods offers a suite of case studies which details the diverse and creative ways landowners, local conservation groups, towns, and state agencies have worked together to achieve conservation success. These case studies are divided into the conservation tools used to conserve the land. Links to information on the conservation tools themselves are also available.

Your decision about the future of your land is important to ensuring that your goals and the needs of those thatRead More...

Keystone Training Announcement

Paul Catanzaro — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100

Help us identify important people who can make the conservation difference! We are looking for applications and recommendations for this year’s Keystone Training. Formerly called the Coverts program, we recently changed its name to Keystone to better reflect the goals of the training program.

In ecology, a keystone species is one whose impacts on its environment are larger and greater than would be expected from one species. Like the Coverts program before, the Keystone ProjRead More...

LIP

Paul Catanzaro — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Wildlife management often ranks high as a management objective for landowners. Since more than 75% of the forests in Massachusetts are owned by families and individuals, the future of many of our wildlife species are in the hands of private landowners. In fact, most rare species and species in decline in Massachusetts are found on privately owned lands. In order to help these species survive, it is important to find ways to provide private landowners technical assistance and resources fRead More...

Restoring Old-Growth Characteristics

Paul Catanzaro — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100

2007-10-09A new publication of UMass Extension, "Restoring Old-Growth Characteristics (PDF)", outlines both passive and active approaches to increasing the amount of old-growth structure in the woodlands of Massachusetts. The publication is based on Anthony D'Amato's research of old growth forests in Massachusetts.

Old-growth forest was once the predominant natural condition across southern New England before European settlement; however, it is now one of the rarest habitatsRead More...

Working with a Massachusetts Forester

Paul Catanzaro — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Your woods are a wonderful and complex natural resource. Achieving your landowner goals takes knowledge of these forests and careful planning. Working with a forester is an excellent way to determine your range of management options and choose a management strategy to meet your goals, while protecting your interest.

A forester is a professional with college level training and experience in a broad range of forest-related topics including forest and wildlife ecology, economics, legal iRead More...