Progress 10/17/16 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Forest landowners Land managers Timber harvesters & other natural resource professionals Municipal officials Conservation organizations Regional Planning Agencies State and federal agency personnel Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Keystone annual training Training workshops Presentations Publications Web site content Program faculty conducted 89 presentations and training workshops in FY 2021. Additional opportunities for professional development were provided by publications and web site content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles and technical publications Population publications Web site content Downloadable GIS data and prepared maps Online database Conference presentations Targeted outreach/presentations Training workshops Facilitated meetings Policy white papers What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Forest Conservation Keystone Project: Annual Training, Refresher Course, e-newsletter and list serve MassWoods: Website updates, maintenance, and marketing, increase web content on the Ch. 61 current use tax program Southern New England Stumpage Survey "Protecing Your Legacy" workshop series, including two "Woodland Connections for Women" programs "Women on the Land" outreach publication Workshops and presentations using the Forest Carbon publication Intitiate social and ecological research on EAB Continue to collaborate with other states to implement conservation-based estate planning outreach CAPS & DSL Conduct a new Critical Linkages analysis for states in the Northeastern U.S. and distribute results Interpret and apply CAPS and other DSL products in MA and surrounding states Workshops on the results and use of CAPS and other DSL analyses Revise and Enhance UMassCAPS web site River & Stream Continuity Project Manage, enhance and expand online database to serve 13 states in the North Atlantic region Implement new assessment modules for road-stream crossing assessment for use throughout the North Atlantic region Maintain and enhance content on the streamcontinuity.org web site Training programs on assessment of and technical issues associated with road-stream crossings Assessment and prioritization of road-stream crossings Wildlife Conservation Workshops, presentation, and technical assistance on wildlife natural history and conservation Maintain the MA Snakes web site Maintain and update the MA Herp Atlas web site Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on mitigating the impacts of transportation on fish, wildlife and ecosystems Climate Change Adaptation Maintain and continue development of the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool Maintain and continue development of the Conservation Tools website Create, coordinate and lead the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Partnership Create and manage the Massachusetts Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) Participate in multi-agency/organization working group on conservation of cold-water streams Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on climate change adaptation and the Climate Action Tool
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The MA RREA Program increases forest conservation by informing decisions of landowners across the state who collectively own 70% of our forests. To inform these decisions we focus on research-based outreach strategies and concentrate our efforts on two critical issues: inter-generational transfer of land and global change. The program also serves as a resource on fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation via presentations, webinars, workshops, websites and web-based tools. A major focus has been strategic land conservation, enhancing landscape connectivity, and climate adaptation. Over the past five years, the program has engaged in the following activities and achieved the following outcomes. Intergenerational transfer of land. We developed publications, including Protecting Your Legacy and Protecting Your Legacy Startup Guide, and online resources including a landowner video and a Legacy Planning web tool. Over 8,000 copies of Protecting Your Legacy were distributed in MA and over 15,000 people have visited www.MassWoods.org to learn more about planning the future of their land. The Protecting Your Legacy publication was adapted for use in 10 other states. Over 30 landowner outreach events on forest conservation were delivered across MA, as well as five webinars/workshops for foresters, natural resource professionals, and community leaders who work with forest landowners. Over 750 landowners owning more than 30,000 acres were reached through educational programs. 70% of these landowners report that they have moved forward with at least one action to plan the future of their land. 50% report taking a formal action. 48% of landowners report sharing our information with another landowner, reaching an additional 500 landowners. 85% of professionals and community leaders we reached with our resources and training report assisting at least one landowner with the help of our resources, reaching another 7,882 landowners. Women on the Land. To increase women landowners' confidence in making decisions about their land, we developed an outreach publication called Women on the Land based on our research on the goals, interests, and challenges of women. A network of women was organized, including a listserv for the Women on the Land network and the formation of a steering committee. Outreach events included eight field tours, a webinar and a two-part book club. More than 4,000 copies of Women on the Land were distributed to landowners and natural resource professionals in 26 states. The publication was adopted by the national Women Owning Woodlands Network (WOW.net), who organized a four part national webinar series. Evaluations show that the all-women nature of events increased the likelihood of attendance and enjoyment of the program for 88% of women, and increased the value of the program for 58% of participants. Keystone. Keystone (http://masskeystone.net) is a 3-day retreat style program that uses peer-to-peer networks to inform landowner decisions. Three Keystone programs were conducted over the past five years (two of the trainings were cancelled due to COVID-19). We maintain a network of over 350 former Keystone participants (Keystone cooperators). Cooperators collectively own or are involved with the management decisions (e.g. town-owned land, land trust land) on 320,514 acres of land. They made contact with 18,823 people about forest conservation and made 7,304 referrals to professionals and resources. Keystone Cooperators contributed 42,054 hours to conservation-related activities, 53% of which were volunteer hours. Forest Resiliency & Carbon. Our forests are facing increasing challenges including invasive insects and plants, deer herbivory, and climate change.To help landowners understand their options for reducing vulnerability and increasing forest resiliency, we developed a publication, Increasing Forest Resiliency for an Uncertain Future, and delivered 10 presentations based on it. Our new publication Forest Carbon: An Essential Natural Solution to Climate Change distills the science of forest carbon to manageable concepts that allow landowners, forest stewards, and policy makers to make informed decisions to meet their ownership goals. Approximately 20 outreach presentations were delivered on the topic of forest carbon. Over 4,000 copies of the Forest Resilience and 6,000 copies of the Forest Carbon publications were distributed across the Northeastern U.S. and beyond. MassWood.org. This dynamic website (https://masswoods.org/) features a contact database listing land trusts, professional foresters, and estate planning professionals working in every town in the state. It also includes online calculators that help landowners determine their property taxes under the state's current use tax program and features case studies highlighting landowners conserving their land. A 'Constant Contact' e-newsletter and Facebook page help market the site. Over the past five years, there have been 247,372 page views with an average of 3.02 pages per visit and an average time on page of 2:03. Strategic Land Conservation. The Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) and Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) initiatives provides landscape-scale modeling and assessments of ecological integrity, connectivity, risk of development, climate refugia, and climate stress to land trusts and other conservation organizations, municipalities, and natural resource agencies. Assessments have been completed for the 13-state Northeastern U.S. and results disseminated as GIS data or high-resolution PDF maps via our websites (https://umasscaps.org/ and https://umassdsl.org/). The UMassCAPS.org website received over 20,000 visits, with 385 downloads of GIS data and 3,651 downloaded PDF maps. Elements of CAPS and DSL analyses have been incorporated into Biomap2, a MA state blueprint for biodiversity conservation, TNC's Resilient & Connected Landscapes, USFWS's Nature's Network and Connect the Connecticut conservation designs, and a technical report on the State of the Narragansett Bay and its Watershed. We created a portal website to provide information about, and links to, data sources and tools developed by a variety of agencies and organizations to guide land conservation and forest stewardship in Massachusetts (https://ag.umass.edu/resources/land-conservation-tools). Landscape Connectivity. We coordinate the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) a network of individuals from universities, conservation organizations, and state and federal natural resource and transportation agencies focused on improving aquatic and terrestrial connectivity across a 13-state region, from Maine to West Virginia. NAACC provides assessment modules for evaluating the barrier effects of road-stream crossings on fish and wildlife, as well as a database for housing and scoring those data. CAPS/DSL connectivity modeling makes use of these data to identify important wildlife corridors and prioritize culverts for replacement to restore aquatic connectivity. 51 presentations on landscape connectivity reached nearly 2,000 participants and the NAACC database received over 43,000 crossing assessments from across the region. The NAACC web site (https://streamcontinuity.org/naacc) was visited 105,000 times. Climate Change Adaptation. The Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) is a "community of practice" for people engaged in climate adaptation to protect ecosystems and species. Three annual Mass ECAN conferences were attended by 260 people; the Mass ECAN network now includes 480 members. The Mass ECAN website (https://www.massecan.org/) was visited over 11,000 times, and the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool (https://climateactiontool.org/) recorded 130,229 visits. 26 workshops and presentations conducted on the topic of climate change adaptation reached over 1,000 participants.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Sutcliffe, K., P. Catanzaro, and S. Wells. 2021. Open Space Handbook: A Guide to Community Conservation in Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts, Cooperative Extension Landowner Outreach Publication, 34 pp.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Lukacic, O., P. Catanzaro, and E. Huff. 2021. Women on the Land. University of Massachusetts, Cooperative Extension Landowner Outreach Publication, 38 pp.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Compton, B. and S. Jackson. 2021. CAPS Index of Ecological Integrity (IEI) Maps. High resolution PDF maps for 351 Massachusetts Communities. University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA. http://umasscaps.org/data_maps/maps.html
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Land Conservation Tools https://ag.umass.edu/resources/land-conservation-tools
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Catanzaro, P. and M. Markowski-Lindsay. 2021. Expanding family forest owner options to keep their land in forest use. Journal of Forestry. fvab052, https://doi.org/10.1093/jofore/fvab052
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Murray, H., M. Markowski-Lindsay, P. Catanzaro, B. Butler, H. Eichman. 2021. Economic contributions from conserved forests: Four case studies of the USDA Forest Service Forest Legacy Program. Forest Science. 67:6 pgs. 629632, https://doi.org/10.1093/forsci/fxab039
|
Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Forest landowners Land managers Timber harvesters & other natural resource professionals Municipal officials Conservation organizations Regional Planning Agencies State and federal agency personnel Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Keystone annual training Training workshops Presentations Publications Web site content Program faculty conducted 59 presentations and training workshops in FY 2020. Additional opportunities for professional development were provided by publications and web site content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles and technical publications Population publications Web site content Downloadable GIS data and prepared maps Online database Conference presentations Targeted outreach/presentations Training workshops Facilitated meetings Policy white papers What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Forest Conservation Keystone Project: Annual Training, Refresher Course, e-newsletter and list serve MassWoods: Website updates, maintenance, and marketing, increase web content on the Ch. 61 current use tax program Southern New England Stumpage Survey "Protecing Your Legacy" workshop series, including two "Woodland Connections for Women" programs "Women on the Land" outreach publication Workshops and presentations using the Forest Carbon publication Intitiate social and ecological research on EAB Continue to collaborate with other states to implement conservation-based estate planning outreach CAPS Finalize new CAPS assessment for MA and distribute results Conduct a new Critical Linkages analysis for states in the Northeastern U.S. and distribute results Interpret and apply CAPS and other DSL products in MA and surrounding states Workshops on the results and use of CAPS and other DSL analyses Revise and Enhance UMassCAPS web site River & Stream Continuity Project Manage, enhance and expand online database to serve 13 states in the North Atlantic region Implement new assessment modules for road-stream crossing assessment for use throughout the North Atlantic region Maintain and enhance content on the streamcontinuity.org web site Training programs on assessment of and technical issues associated with road-stream crossings Assessment and prioritization of road-stream crossings Wildlife Conservation Workshops, presentation, and technical assistance on wildlife natural history and conservation Maintain the MA Snakes web site Maintain and update the MA Herp Atlas web site Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on mitigating the impacts of transportation on fish, wildlife and ecosystems Climate Change Adaptation Maintain and continue development of the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool Create, coordinate and lead the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Partnership Create and manage the Massachusetts Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) Participate in multi-agency/organization working group on conservation of cold-water streams Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on climate change adaptation and the Climate Action Tool
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
There are over 50,000 family forest owners who own 10 or more acres of land, living in 351 communities across Massachusetts. The Forest Conservation Extension Program is charged with increasing forest conservation by informing the decisions of these 50,000 landowners across the state who collective own 70% of our forests. In order to effectively inform these decisions with limited time and resources, we focus on research-based outreach strategies that can amplify our efforts and concentrate our efforts on critical issues. 73% of forested parcels in Massachusetts are owned by people over 55 years old. The decisions these landowners make about the future of their land will shape our landscapes and the benefits they provide (or don't provide!) in the future. This is the critical issue of our time. Therefore, we have developed a tightly integrated research/extension program to help landowners understand their conservation-based estate planning options. The work of this initiative is done in collaboration with Mount Grace Land Conservancy and is funded by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation. Research and experience tell us that facing serious illness and death is a trigger for landowners to begin estate planning. Once the pandemic hit, we recognized the opportunity to help inform these decisions and did a statewide mailing to the largest landowners in the most forested communities (3,000 landowners) which included our Protecting Your Legacy and Using a Will to Pass on Your Land publications. We also developed and included a new Protecting Your Legacy Start-up. In addition, our team organized and delivered seven in-person events before the pandemic and developed seven instructional videos for landowners. We also collaborated with the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition to develop and deploy of survey of land trusts across Massachusetts. The goal was to better understand the impact and challenges of land trusts. The survey results serve as a foundation for future collaborative work to decrease forest loss and parcelization. We also focus our efforts on forest resiliency and climate change. Forests are critical to mitigating climate change. The topic of forest carbon is very complex and very emotional. There are ongoing debates about whether active or passive approaches are the most effective way to use forests to mitigate climate change. Over 7,000 copies of our Forest Carbon publications have been distributed across New England and beyond and we delivered five outreach programs on forest carbon to well over 200 foresters and landowners. In the coming year we will continue to focus on legacy planning and our use of peer learning to reach family forest owners. We will also continue our work with community conservation by working to engage with municipal open space communities that can help inform the decisions of landowners in their communities, amplifying our efforts. The Forest Carbon publication will continue to be the focus of outreach programs around the region. We will be completing the development of an outreach publication for women in collaboration with a graduate student. In addition, we will be working with colleagues to investigate the social and ecological implications of the Emerald Ash Borer through a recently received NIFA grant. UMass Extension serves as a general resource on fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation. A major focus this past year has been understanding how conservation practitioners use available information sources and tools for conservation decision making, and climate adaptation. This year we initiated a series of climate adaptation presentations at public libraries in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. These evening presentations focused on the global warming and its causes, recent climate change and projections for future change, potential impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems, and adaptation actions that can be taken to conserve vulnerable ecosystems, such as northern forests and cold-water streams. Five presentations were held with a combined attendance of 200 people. The third annual MA Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) conference was held on October 29, 2019 and was attended by over 80 people from across Massachusetts and across disciplines. The Mass ECAN network now has over 400 members. From September 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020, the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool website (www.climateactiontool.org) recorded 22,128 visits from 18,961 users. The MA Division of Ecological Restoration referenced the Climate Action Tool in their Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program RFR. The following language was included in the RFR. "Culverts identified by the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool (https://climateactiontool.org/content/maintainhabitat-connectivity-retrofit-or-replace-culverts) as priorities for replacement will be given preference." Over the course of the past year, six workshops and presentations on the topic of climate change adaptation reaching 377 participants. A new, updated Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) assessment for Massachusetts was undertaken with funding from the MA Department of Environmental Protection. Significant improvements include the incorporation of updated source data for our land cover map, including new, fine-scale data from MassGIS. Our CAPS/DSL team began discussions with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program about custom CAPS analyses for inclusion in Biomap3, an updated blueprint for the conservation of biodiversity in Massachusetts. A McIntire-Stennis project is investigating the degree to which CAPS, DSL and other data sources and tools are being used as part of strategic forest conservation in the Northeastern U.S. As part of this research project, we implemented a survey of tool and data users, organized a meeting of tool/data developers to review results from the survey, and convened three focus groups to gain further insight into the way that tools/data were being used, as well as barriers to their usage. This past year the CAPS web site (www.umasscaps.org) received 2,455 visits from 2,005 users. The CAPS report for the 2011 assessment for Massachusetts was downloaded 61 times. There were 81 downloads of GIS data and 516 downloaded maps. Six workshops and presentations were delivered on CAPS and related applications reaching 718 participants. The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC), coordinated by UMass Extension, is a partnership covering 13 states in the northeastern U.S. and focused on restoring aquatic connectivity and ecological integrity to forest streams and rivers. Ongoing revisions and improvements were made to the online Road-Stream Crossings Database so that it can better serve cooperators throughout the 13-state region. Despite COVID-19, over the past year, 6,737 non-tidal aquatic crossing assessments from ten states were collected and entered into the NAACC database. The Nature Conservancy and New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife were the first to implement the new NAACC protocol for assessing road-stream crossings for use by terrestrial wildlife. This past year, these two pilot projects contributed 452 terrestrial connectivity records to the NAACC database, 150 from Massachusetts and 302 from New Jersey. Nine workshops, presentations or field trips on the topic of river and stream continuity were conducted reaching 310 participants.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Catanzaro, P.F., W. Ferris, J. Rasku and S. Wells. 2020. Protecting Your Legacy Start-up Guide. University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Constable, B., P.F. Catanzaro, R. Johnson, M. Markowski-Lindsay, and O. Lukacic. 2020. 2020 Survey of Massachusetts Land Trusts. University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA.
|
Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Forest landowners Land managers Timber harvesters & other natural resource professionals Municipal officials Conservation organizations Regional Planning Agencies State and federal agency personnel Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Keystone annual training Training workshops Presentations Publications Web site content Program faculty conducted 65 presentations and training workshops in FY 2019. Additional opportunities for professional development were provided by publications and web site content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles and technical publications Population publications Web site content Downloadable GIS data and prepared maps Online database Conference presentations Targeted outreach/presentations Training workshops Facilitated meetings Policy white paper What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Forest Conservation Keystone Project: Annual Training, Refresher Course, e-newsletter and list serve MassWoods: Website updates, maintenance, and marketing, increase web content on the Ch. 61 current use tax program Southern New England Stumpage Survey "Protecing Your Legacy" workshop series, including two "Woodland Connections for Women" programs Workshops and presentations using the Forest Carbon publication Continue NIFA research project on landowner decisions regarding land transfer Continue to collaborate with other states to implement conservation-based estate planning outreach CAPS Interpret and apply CAPS in MA and surrounding states Workshops on the results and use of CAPS analyses Revise and Enhance UMassCAPS web site Create aquatic connectivity scenario analysis tool River & Stream Continuity Project Manage, enhance and expand online database to serve 13 states in the North Atlantic region Create new assessment modules for road-stream crossing assessment for use throughout the North Atlantic region Maintain and enhance content on the streamcontinuity.org web site Training programs on assessment of and technical issues associated with road-stream crossings Assessment and prioritization of road-stream crossings Wetlands Assessment & Protection Continued data collection and IBI development for wetlands assessment Prepare manuscripts for publication Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on wetlands and wetlands protection regulation Wildlife Conservation Workshops, presentation, and technical assistance on wildlife natural history and conservation Maintain the MA Snakes web site Maintain and update the MA Herp Atlas web site Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on mitigating the impacts of transportation on fish, wildlife and ecosystems Climate Change Adaptation Maintain and continue development of the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool Create, coordinate and lead the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Partnership Create and manage the Massachusetts Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) Participate in multi-agency/organization working group on conservation of cold-water streams Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on climate change adaptation and the Climate Action Tool
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
There are over 50,000 family forest owners who own 10 or more acres of land, living in 351 communities across Massachusetts. The Forest Conservation Extension Program is charged with increasing forest conservation by informing the decisions of these 50,000 landowners across the state who collective own 70% of our forests. In order to effectively inform these decisions with limited time and resources, we focus on research-based outreach strategies that can amplify our efforts and concentrate our efforts on critical issues. 73% of forested parcels in Massachusetts are owned by people over 55 years old. The decisions these landowners make about the future of their land will shape our landscapes and the benefits they provide (or don't provide!) in the future. This is the critical issue of our time. Therefore, I have developed a tightly integrated research/extension program to help landowners understand their conservation-based estate planning options. The work of this initiative is done in collaboration with Mount Grace Land Conservancy and is funded by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation. This year I produced a second edition of our very popular legacy planning outreach publication, "Protecting Your Legacy." This edition is an updated and revised version of the original "Your Land, Your Legacy" publication. The new publication served as the foundation of outreach programs to landowners, including three more Woodland Connections for Women programs. To compliment the publications and workshops, I developed an online tool to help landowners better understand their conservation-based estate planning options. In addition, I wrote a featured article for the Association of Consulting Foresters national magazine "The Consultant," which is mailed to more than 2,500 foresters, industry leaders, and policy makers around the country. I also implemented an evaluation survey to find out the impact of our conservation-based estate planning outreach. Below are a few findings that quantify the impacts that our legacy planning work is having: 50% of landowners that we reached through resources or a program took formal steps to plan their land 48% of landowners shared information with other landowners deciding the future of their land, reaching almost another 500 landowners through peer-to-peer 85% of professionals and Keystone Cooperators (peer-to-peer program) assisted at least one landowner with the help of our resources and/or training, reaching 7,882 people I also collaborated with my graduate student and colleagues on two projects to help communities better understand the economic impacts of land protection. Our first project was to produce a report for the USDA Forest Legacy Program entitled: Economic Contribution of Land Conserved by the USDA's Forest Legacy Program. I also worked with my graduate student to develop cost of community services studies for four communities across the Massachusetts. A report entitled Fiscal Impacts of Land Use in Massachusetts: Updated Cost-of-Community Services Studies for 4 Massachusetts Communities was produced and distributed to every community in the state. Both projects help community members better understand how land conservation impacts the economic health of their communities. I also focus my efforts on forest resiliency and climate change. Forests are critical to mitigating climate change. The topic of forest carbon is very complex and very emotional. There are ongoing debates about whether active or passive approaches are the most effective way to use forests to mitigate climate change. Misinformation has fueled this heated debate. In response, I collaborated with a colleague to develop a new publication Forest Carbon: An essential natural solution to climate change seeks to inform these conversations by distilling the science of forest carbon to manageable concepts that allow landowners, forest stewards, and policy makers to make informed decisions about the best strategy for to meet their ownership goals. The publication has been very popular. Over 5,000 copies have distributed across New England and beyond in the last three months. In the coming year I will continue to focus on legacy planning and our use of peer learning to reach family forest owners. I will also continue my work with community conservation by working to engage with municipal open space communities that can help inform the decisions of landowners in their communities, amplifying my efforts. The new Forest Carbon publication will also be the focus of outreach programs around the region. I will also be collaborating with my graduate student to begin the development of an outreach publication specifically for women landowners. UMass Extension serves as a general resource on fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation. A major focus this past year was maintaining and expanding the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool (www.climateactiontool.org). From September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017, the site recorded 27,166 hits from 5,878 users, with an average of 3.13 pages viewed per visit and an average duration time of 3:07. Of these, 14,908 hits were from 2,321 MA users, with an average of 3.88 pages viewed per visit and an average duration time of 4:06. Despite the inclusion of "Massachusetts" in the name of the site/tool, 60.5 % of the users and 45.1 % of hits were from people outside of Massachusetts. This suggests broad interest in this new type of climate adaptation education tool. The team that I led in creating the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool received the 2017 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources at the National Adaptation Forum. Over the course of the past year, six workshops and presentations on the topic of fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation were conducted reaching 165 participants. Work on the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) including field data collection in forested wetlands and shrub swamps, and data analysis. CAPS is extensively referenced, and numerous CAPS maps included, in the State of Narragensett Bay and Its Watershed Technical Report, published by the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program in 2017. A region-wide (13 state) Critical Linkages analysis of road-stream crossings focusing on connectivity for cold-water streams was completed in 2017 and made available to people throughout the region. The MA Division of Ecological Restoration's Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program RFR directed applicants to use the results of CAPS and Critical Linkages analyses to determine their proposed culvert's priority for replacement. This past year the CAPS web site (www.umasscaps.org) received 5,983 visits from 1,698 users. Six workshops and presentations on CAPS were delivered, reaching 234 participants. There were 41 downloads of GIS data and 677 downloaded maps. The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC), coordinated by UMass Extension, is a partnership covering 13 states in the northeastern U.S. and focused on restoring aquatic connectivity and ecological integrity to forest streams and rivers. UMass oversaw ongoing revisions and improvements to the online Road-Stream Crossings Database so that it can better serve cooperators throughout the 13-state region. We incorporated data collected by older protocols into the database, including: 16,267 records from Maine and 10,342 from Vermont, in addition to 2,493 from Connecticut and 11,626 from the UMass protocol in MA, RI, NY and NJ. In the past year the project's Road-Stream Crossings Database received data from 14,185 crossing assessments conducted in 11 northeastern states. Ten workshops, presentations or field trips on the topic of river and stream continuity were conducted reaching 474 participants. The web site (www.streamcontinuity.org) received 37,725 visits from 5,526 users.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Catanzaro, P.F., W. Ferris, J. Rasku and S. Wells. 2019. Protecting Your Legacy: A Landowners Guide to Deciding the Future of Your Land. University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Catanzaro, P.F and A. DAmato. 2019. Forest Carbon: An essential natural solution to climate change. University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Murray, H., P.F. Catanzaro, M. Markowski-Lindsay, B.J. Butler, and H. Eichman. 2019. Economic Contribution of Land Conserved by the USDAs Forest Legacy Program. University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Murray, H. and P.F. Catanzaro. 2019. Fiscal Impacts of Land Use in Massachusetts: Updated Cost-of-Community Services Studies for 4 Massachusetts Communities. University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Markowski-Lindsay, M., P. Catanzaro, R. Zimmerer, D. Kittredge, E. Markowitz, and D. Chapman. In Press. Northeastern family forest owner gender differences in land-based estate planning and the role of self-efficacy. Journal of Forestry.
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Catanzaro, P.F. and K. Hamunen. Extension and Education Services: Applying Service-Dominant Logic Through Peer-to-Peer Learning. In Services in Family Forestry (In press). New York, NY: Springer.
|
Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Forest landowners Land managers Timber harvesters & other natural resource professionals Municipal officials Conservation organizations Regional Planning Agencies State and federal agency personnel Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Keystone annual training Training workshops Presentations Publications Web site content Program faculty conducted 37 presentations and training workshops in FY 2018. Additional opportunities for professional development were provided by publications and web site content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles and technical publications Population publications Web site content Online data visualization and decision support tools Downloadable GIS data and prepared maps Online database Conference presentations Targeted outreach/presentations Training workshops Facilitated meetings What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Keystone Project: Annual Training MassWoods: Website updates, maintenance, and marketing Southern New England Stumpage Survey Update our "Protecting Your Legacy" guide with new information Design a new resource for landowners and land trusts about the role of carbon in their forest Re-print the "Increasing Forest Resiliency" publications and deliver workshops, conference presentations on forest resiliency Continue NIFA research project on landowner decisions regarding land transfer Continue to collaborate with other states to implement conservation-based estate planning outreach CAPS Interpret and apply CAPS in MA and surrounding states Workshops on the results and use of CAPS analyses Revise and Enhance UMassCAPS web site Create aquatic connectivity scenario analysis tool River & Stream Continuity Project Manage, enhance and expand online database to serve 13 states in the North Atlantic region Implement new assessment modules for road-stream crossing assessment for use throughout the North Atlantic region Maintain and enhance content on the streamcontinuity.org web site Training programs on assessment of and technical issues associated with road-stream crossings Assessment and prioritization of road-stream crossings Wetlands Assessment & Protection Continued data collection on wetlands condition Prepare manuscripts for publication Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on wetlands and wetlands protection regulation Wildlife Conservation Workshops, presentation, and technical assistance on wildlife natural history and conservation Maintain the MA Snakes web site Maintain the MA Herp Atlas web site Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on mitigating the impacts of transportation on fish, wildlife and ecosystems Climate Change Adaptation Maintain and continue development of the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool Create, coordinate and lead the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Partnership Create and manage the Massachusetts Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) Participate in multi-agency/organization working groups on conservation of forests and cold-water streams Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on climate change adaptation and the Climate Action Tool
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Forest Conservation program, in partnership with two local land trusts has continued our outreach efforts to help family forest owners make informed decisions about the future of their land, decisions that will meet the needs of their family and the commonwealth. Over the last ten years, our program has become a national leader in the area of intergenerational land transfer extension and research with impressive results. We plan to continue this work into the future in collaboration with other states. Three basic conservation-based estate planning landowner outreach events (Williamsburg, Russell, and New Salem) were conducted, reaching 48 landowners who collectively own over 3,000 acres of land. The New Salem program was done in partnership with "Land for Good" and targeted farmers with forestland. More than 500 landowners received our "Your Land, Your Legacy" and "Using a Will to Pass On Your Land" publications through a direct mailing of these publications. The "Ch. 61 Programs: Understanding the MA Ch. 61 Current Use Tax Programs" publication was updated and reprinted (over 5,000 copies of the original publication have been distributed). Our quantitative research shows that the most common tool that landowners use to pass on their land is a will. However, our qualitative research suggests that landowners do not always use the will correctly and may assume that a will does more than it really does. This past year a new publication "Using a Will to Pass on Your Land" was developed In order to help maximize landowner use of their will. Keystone (http://masskeystone.net) is a 3-day retreat style program that uses peer-to-peer networks to inform landowner decisions. The goal of Keystone is to put into place in each community the people that can be a local source of information to landowners, communities, and organizations, those shaping the future of our landscapes one decision at a time. The training covers subjects such as forest ecology and management, wildlife management, land protection, and community outreach. In exchange for the training and take-home resources, graduates of the program agree to return to their communities and volunteer at least 30-hours of their time towards projects that promote forest and wildlife conservation. Cooperators also become a part of a statewide network, available to help each other and acting as a local contact for UMass outreach programs and resources. Since 1988 when the program began, 700 community leaders have been trained. For more information about Keystone, visit: http://masskeystone.net/. More than half of Keystone cooperators remain active in their communities. A survey of active Keystone Cooperators revealed that, over the last 12-months, they had: Contributed 42,054 hours to conservation-related activities, 53% of which were volunteer hours. This is equivalent to >21 full-time conservation positions, of which 11 positions were volunteer. Contributed $549,550 worth of volunteer time based on the hourly rate of $24.69 for an hour. Own or are involved with the management decisions on 320,514 total acres of land. Made contact with 18,823 people about forest conservation. Made 7,304 referrals to conservation information resources. Referrals to land trusts, government programs, private foresters, and public foresters were most common. The Forest Conservation program has been working for years on internet-based outreach projects, including our main website MassWoods.net. We continue to work on ways to connect people to resources and resource professionals. We have developed a new online Legacy Planning Tool to help landowners begin planning the future of their land: https://masswoods.org/legacy/planning-tool. We delivered 4 constant contact e-newsletters highlighting MassWoods. In addition, MassWoods continues to be the main source of MA current use information in the state, including our on-line current use calculators that allow landowners to calculate the taxes of their land under the current use programs. The Forest Conservation program continues the longest continuous stumpage survey in the northeast. These data are used by landowners, the forest industry, and is used by the MA Department of Agriculture to set forestland current use rates. We have developed new graphs showing the stumpage trends over the last two decades: https://masswoods.org/stumpage/trends. Our forests face a number of challenges. Landowners of all types are looking for digestible information about their options for increasing their forest's resiliency. The original printing of our publication have all been distributed. We re-printed our publication and continue delivering programs on forest resiliency. UMass Extension serves as a general resource on fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation. This past year we continued to revamp the MA Herp Atlas Project web site to upgrade software and increase functionality. Between September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2018, the Herp Atlas received 70 new records, 18 of which documented occurrences of state-listed species. The Massachusetts Herp Atlas web site (http://www.massherpatlas.org/) recorded 9,155 visits from 1,322 Massachusetts users with an average of 5.14 page views per visit and an average visit time of 3:20. The Massachusetts Snakes web site (http://www.masnakes.org/) recorded 186,306 hits from 36,794 Massachusetts users, with an average of 4.31 page views per visit and an average visit time of 2:13. Over the course of the past year, three workshops and presentations were presented on the topic of fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation reaching 90 participants. A new focus over the past couple of years has been climate adaptation, especially with regard to ecosystem integrity and conservation. The Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN), held its first conference on November 30, 2017 and was attended at full capacity by 80 people from across Massachusetts and across disciplines. The Mass ECAN network now has 191 members. From September 1, 2017 through August 31, 2018, the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool (www.climateactiontool.org) recorded 27,887 hits from 11,487 users. Of these, 12,208 hits were from 3,591 MA users. Despite the inclusion of "Massachusetts" in the name of the site/tool, 68.7% of the users and 56.2 % of hits were from people outside of Massachusetts, suggesting broad interest in this new type of climate adaptation education tool. Over the course of the past year, six workshops and presentations conducted on the topic of climate change adaptation reaching 235 participants. Work on the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) including field data collection in salt marshes and data analysis. CAPS data were clipped and packaged for each of the 13 states in the North Atlantic region, and are available for download from the CAPS web site (umasscaps.org). This past year, the site received 7,382 visits from 2,047 users. The CAPS report for the 2011 assessment for Massachusetts was downloaded 48 times. There were 111 downloads of GIS data and 1,327 downloaded maps. Three workshops and presentations on CAPS were delivered, reaching 112 participants. The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC), coordinated by UMass Extension, is a partnership covering 13 states in the northeastern U.S. and focused on restoring aquatic connectivity and ecological integrity to forest streams and rivers. The NAACC now includes 86 local and regional coordinators and 277 certified lead observers. In the past year The NAACC Road-Stream Crossings Database received data from 9,107 crossing assessments that were conducted this past year in eight states (CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA, RI, & VA). The web site (www.streamcontinuity.org) received 34,316 visits from 5,583 users. Nine workshops, presentations or field trips on the topic of river and stream continuity were conducted reaching 274 participants.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Catanzaro, P.F., H. Murray, W. Ferris, and S. Wells. 2018. Using a Will to Pass on Your Land. University of Massachusetts, Cooperative Extension Landowner Outreach Pamphlet, 8 pp.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Bell, K.B., M. Markowski-Lindsay, P. Catanzaro, and J. Leahy. 2018. Family forest owner decisions, landscape context, and landscape change. Landscape and Urban Planning.DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.023
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Markowski-Lindsay M, P. Catanzaro, K Bell, D Kittredge, E Markowitz, J Leahy, B Butler, A Milman and S Allred. 2018. In Forest and Intact: Designing Future Use of Family-Forest Owned Land. Journal of Forestry. 116(4):357-366.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
McGarigal, K., B. W. Compton, E. B. Plunkett, W. V. DeLuca, J. Grand, E. Ene, and S. D. Jackson. 2018. A landscape index of ecological integrity to inform landscape conservation. Landscape Ecol (2018) 33: 1029. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-018-0653-9.
|
Progress 10/17/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs
Target Audience:Forest landowners Land managers Timber harvesters & other natural resource professionals Municipal officials Conservation organizations Regional Planning Agencies State and federal agency personnel Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Keystone annual training Training workshops Presentations Publications Web site content Program faculty conducted 52 presentations and training workshops in FY 2017. Additional opportunities for professional development were provided by publications and web site content. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Journal articles and technical publications Population publications Web site content Downloadable GIS data and prepared maps Online database Conference presentations Targeted outreach/presentations Training workshops Facilitated meetings What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Keystone Project: Annual Training, Refresher Course, e-newsletter and list serve MassWoods: Website updates, maintenance, and marketing, increase web content on the Ch. 61 current use tax program Southern New England Stumpage Survey "Your Land, Your Legacy" workshop series, including two "Woodland Connections for Women" programs Develop an online tool to help landowners better understand their conservation-based estate planning options Design a new resource for landowners on using wills to plan the future of the land Re-print the "Increasing Forest Resiliency" publications and deliver workshops, conference presentations on forest resiliency Continue NIFA research project on landowner decisions regarding land transfer Continue to collaborate with other states to implement conservation-based estate planning outreach CAPS Interpret and apply CAPS in MA and surrounding states Workshops on the results and use of CAPS analyses Revise and Enhance UMassCAPS web site Create aquatic connectivity scenario analysis tool River & Stream Continuity Project Manage, enhance and expand online database to serve 13 states in the North Atlantic region Create new assessment modules for road-stream crossing assessment for use throughout the North Atlantic region Maintain and enhance content on the streamcontinuity.org web site Training programs on assessment of and technical issues associated with road-stream crossings Assessment and prioritization of road-stream crossings Wetlands Assessment & Protection Continued data collection and IBI development for wetlands assessment Prepare manuscripts for publication Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on wetlands and wetlands protection regulation Wildlife Conservation Workshops, presentation, and technical assistance on wildlife natural history and conservation Maintain the MA Snakes web site Maintain and update the MA Herp Atlas web site Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on mitigating the impacts of transportation on fish, wildlife and ecosystems Climate Change Adaptation Maintain and continue development of the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool Create, coordinate and lead the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Partnership Create and manage the Massachusetts Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Network (Mass ECAN) Participate in multi-agency/organization working group on conservation of cold-water streams Workshops, presentations and technical assistance on climate change adaptation and the Climate Action Tool
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Forest Conservation program in partnership with the University of Vermont and the USDA Forest Service developed a publication on forest resiliency. This publication serves as the foundation for an initiative to work with critical stakeholders throughout New England to increase the resiliency of our forests to the increasing number of stressors they face and to maintain the private and public benefits they provide. The original printing of our publication has all been distributed. In the next year, we will re-print our publication and continue delivering programs on forest resiliency. The Forest Conservation program, in partnership with Mount Grace Land Conservancy and The Franklin Land Trust has continued our outreach efforts to help family forest owners make informed decisions about the future of their land, decisions that will meet the needs of their family and the commonwealth. This year we organized 2 landowner outreach events (Gill and Phillipston) that reached 42 landowners who collectively own over 1,400 acres of land. More than 100 additional landowners received our "Your Land, Your Legacy" publication in the mail. In addition, we ran 2 Woodland Connections for Women (WCW) programs. Research and experience have demonstrated that women play a particularly important role in landowner decisions regarding the future of the land. WCW events were designed to give women a safe, supportive atmosphere to learn about their land and options for its conservation. This year we organized and delivered 2 events that attracted 28 women owning a total of 1,705 acres. Evaluations from these two events combined show that the all-women nature of the event: Increased the likelihood of attendance for 88% of the women; Increased the enjoyment of the program for 88% of the women; and Increased the value of the program for 58% of the women. Over the last five years, our program has become a national leader in the area of intergenerational land transfer extension and research with impressive results. Our conservation-based estate planning programs and resources have been adopted and adapted by states across the country. Keystone (http://masskeystone.net) is a 3-day retreat style program that uses peer-to-peer networks to inform landowner decisions. The goal of Keystone is to put into place in each community the people that can be a local source of information to landowners, communities, and organizations, those shaping the future of our landscapes one decision at a time. The training covers subjects such as forest ecology and management, wildlife management, land protection, and community outreach. In exchange for the training and take-home resources, graduates of the program agree to return to their communities and volunteer at least 30-hours of their time towards projects that promote forest and wildlife conservation. Cooperators also become a part of a statewide network, available to help each other and acting as a local contact for UMass outreach programs and resources. Since 1988 when the program began, 450 community leaders have been trained. Our 2015 evaluation for a 12-month period include the following efforts of our Keystone Cooperator network: Owned 17,479 acres of land Influenced the management of an additional 153,247 acres through town boards and land trusts Volunteered 13,814 hours, the equivalent of 7 full-time people They contributed an additional 10,945 hours of time on forest conservation through their professional positions, equivalent to 5.5 full time people. Referred 12,919 people to forest conservation and wildlife resources including local professionals, websites and publications The Forest Conservation program has been working for years on internet-based outreach projects, including our main website MassWoods.net. We continue to work on ways to connect people to resources and resource professionals. This year we added content on land laws impacting landowners and a page on forest resiliency. In addition, MassWoods continues to be the main source of MA current use information in the state, including our on-line current use calculators that allow landowners to calculate the taxes of their land under the current use programs. The Forest Conservation program continues the longest continuous stumpage survey in the northeast. These data are used by landowners, the forest industry, and is used by the MA Department of Agriculture to set forestland current use rates. The Forest Conservation program continues the longest continuous stumpage survey in the northeast. This data is used by landowners, the forest industry, and is used by the MA Department of Agriculture to set forestland current use rates. UMass Extension serves as a general resource on fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation. A major focus this past year was maintaining and expanding the Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool (www.climateactiontool.org). From September 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017, the site recorded 27,166 hits from 5,878 users, with an average of 3.13 pages viewed per visit and an average duration time of 3:07. Of these, 14,908 hits were from 2,321 MA users, with an average of 3.88 pages viewed per visit and an average duration time of 4:06. Despite the inclusion of "Massachusetts" in the name of the site/tool, 60.5 % of the users and 45.1 % of hits were from people outside of Massachusetts. This suggests broad interest in this new type of climate adaptation education tool. The team that I led in creating the MA Wildlife Climate Action Tool received the 2017 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources at the National Adaptation Forum. Over the course of the past year, six workshops and presentations on the topic of fish, wildlife and biodiversity conservation were conducted reaching 165 participants. Work on the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) including field data collection in forested wetlands and shrub swamps, and data analysis. CAPS is extensively referenced, and numerous CAPS maps included, in the State of Narragensett Bay and Its Watershed Technical Report, published by the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program in 2017. A region-wide (13 state) Critical Linkages analysis of road-stream crossings focusing on connectivity for cold-water streams was completed in 2017 and made available to people throughout the region. The MA Division of Ecological Restoration's Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program RFR directed applicants to use the results of CAPS and Critical Linkages analyses to determine their proposed culvert's priority for replacement. This past year the CAPS web site (www.umasscaps.org) received 5,983 visits from 1,698 users. Six workshops and presentations on CAPS were delivered, reaching 234 participants. There were 41 downloads of GIS data and 677 downloaded maps. The North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC), coordinated by UMass Extension, is a partnership covering 13 states in the northeastern U.S. and focused on restoring aquatic connectivity and ecological integrity to forest streams and rivers. UMass oversaw ongoing revisions and improvements to the online Road-Stream Crossings Database so that it can better serve cooperators throughout the 13-state region. We incorporated data collected by older protocols into the database, including: 16,267 records from Maine and 10,342 from Vermont, in addition to 2,493 from Connecticut and 11,626 from the UMass protocol in MA, RI, NY and NJ. In the past year the project's Road-Stream Crossings Database received data from 14,185 crossing assessments conducted in 11 northeastern states. Ten workshops, presentations or field trips on the topic of river and stream continuity were conducted reaching 474 participants. The web site (www.streamcontinuity.org) received 37,725 visits from 5,526 users.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Catanzaro, Paul and W. Ferris. 2017. Your Land, Your Legacy. University of Massachusetts Amherst Extension 20 pgs.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Markowski-Lindsay, M., Catanzaro, P., Bell, K, Kittredge, D.B., Leahy, J., Buttler, B.J., E. Markowitz, E., Milman, A., Zimmerer, R., Allred, S., and Sissock, M. 2017. Estate planning as a forest stewardship tool: A study of family land ownerships in the northeastern U.S. Forest Policy and Economics. Vol. 83. Pgs. 36-44.
|
|