Southeast Forest Management Projects

The principal objective of this project is to protect the campers of the Charge Pond Campground Complex, embedded within Myles Standish State Forest, in the event of a wildfire.  The Complex is closely interfaced with a fire-dependent pitch pine-scrub oak ecosystem and only has one access road; and a wildfire approaching the Complex has the potential to overwhelm the Complex quickly.  This project proposes to manage fuels to mitigate the rapid spread of an uncontrolled wildfire, and provide a safety zone comprising a clear, safe area for facility users in the event of a fire.  Overstory canopy density will be reduced through removing large diameter trees and mowing/mulching smaller ones using proven scientific research from UMass Amherst faculty on fuels management in this forest type.  The safety zone will be created by removing, mowing, and/or mulching all trees or shrubs in the area.  Additionally, a nearby ongoing joint MassWildlife-DCR project, providing globally meaningful ecological restoration of a functional pine barrens ecosystem, will be expanded to restore an additional 142 acres of habitat.

DCR and MassWildlife are restoring native Pine Barrens habitat through forest thinning and the use of prescribed fire. This work provides globally rare habitat and also reduces risk to human health and property in the event of a wildfire.

Pine Barrens Restoration Timber Harvest

The Pine Barrens Restoration Timber Harvest was completed in 2015. Approximately 429 acres of dead and dying red pine was cut. Now that the red pine plantations have been removed, the Pitch pine and scrub oak are uninhibited and free to grow, returning these areas to pine barrens. The next step in our continuing process of managing this disturbance dependent ecosystem is to produce a forest wide fire management plan (FMP). The Myles Standish Planning Area FMP will be released in 2018.  Click here for more information.