BioMap Town Report: Lynnfield

BioMap delivers the latest scientific data and resources to help state and local governments, land trusts, non-government organizations, and other conservation partners strategically conserve wildlife and their habitats.

Introduction

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Massachusetts developed the latest version of BioMap to identify critical lands and waters throughout the Commonwealth in need of conservation.

BioMap delivers the latest scientific data and resources to help state and local governments, land trusts, non-government organizations, and other conservation partners strategically protect and manage the habitats and ecosystems critical for biodiversity conservation. BioMap Core Habitat and Critical Natural Landscape identify intact fish and wildlife habitats, natural communities, ecosystems and landscapes that are the focus of the Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). BioMap integrates MassWildlife’s extensive rare species database and fish and wildlife data with The Nature Conservancy’s assessment of large, resilient, and well-connected ecosystems and landscapes across the Commonwealth, supporting species in the context of a changing climate.

Protection and stewardship of Core Habitat and Critical Natural Landscapes are essential to safeguard the diversity and abundance of species and their habitats across Massachusetts, as well as the wellbeing of the people of the Commonwealth. Start exploring BioMap now by visiting mass.gov/BioMap.

Understanding BioMap

Core Habitat identifies areas that are critical for the long-term persistence of rare species, exemplary natural communities, and resilient ecosystems across the Commonwealth. Core Habitat contains six components of biodiversity conservation including Rare Species Core, Forest Core, Aquatic Core, Wetland Core, Vernal Pool Core, and Priority Natural Communities.

Critical Natural Landscape identifies large landscape blocks that are minimally impacted by development as well as buffers to core habitats and coastal areas, both of which to enhance connectivity and resilience. These areas provide habitat for wide-ranging native species, support intact ecological processes, maintain connectivity among habitats, and enhance ecological resilience to natural and anthropogenic disturbances in a rapidly changing world. Areas delineated as Critical Natural Landscape include Landscape Blocks, Coastal Adaptation Areas, Tern Foraging Habitat, Aquatic Core Buffer, and Wetland Core Buffer.  

Local Components are additions to Core Habitat and Critical Natural Landscape assessed from the perspective of each city and town to inform municipalities and others when making local decisions. Local Components includes Local Landscapes, Local Wetland and Local Wetland Buffer, Local Rare Species, Local Aquatic Habitat and Local Aquatic Habitat Buffer, and Local Vernal Pools. Please note the local data is not designed to replace the statewide data, but to complement and add to it. It is important to use the local layers and statewide data together. 

Regional Components are additions to BioMap that are of particular importance for conservation from the perspective of the Northeastern United States. Regional Connectivity shows areas that are particularly important for maintaining sub-continental connections among habitats, which will support the shifting ranges of native species. Regional Rare Species areas identify habitats within the state that support highly vulnerable and imperiled species which are at high risk regionally, nationally, or globally due to factors such as restricted ranges, few populations or occurrences, history of decline, and high threat levels. 

The new BioMap is designed to evolve with updates to data, therefore, users should consult the online interactive mapper at mass.gov/BioMap periodically to ensure they are using the most up to date BioMap information. 

BioMap is a non-regulatory conservation planning tool to plan and prioritize conservation actions. In contrast, Priority Habitat is a regulatory screening tool to allow the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) to review projects or activities for impacts to state-listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA). For more information on the NHESP regulatory review program visit the MA Endangered Species Act (MESA) Regulatory Review page.  

Lynnfield at a Glance

• Total Area: 6,682.3 acres
  • Total Open Space Protected in Lynnfield: 1,421.8 acres or 21.3% of total area
• BioMap Core Habitat: 1,683.1 acres
  • Percent of Lynnfield Covered by Core Habitat: 25.2%
  • BioMap Core Habitat Protected in Lynnfield: 564.2 acres or 8.4%
• BioMap Critical Natural Landscape: 1,596.1 acres
  • Percent of Lynnfield Covered by Critical Natural Landscape: 23.9%
  • BioMap Critical Natural Landscape Protected in Lynnfield: 802.7 acres or 12.0%
• BioMap Local Components: 1,380.9 acres
  • Percent of Lynnfield Covered by Local Components: 20.7%
  • BioMap Local Components Protected in Lynnfield: 872.8 acres or 13.1%
• BioMap Regional Components: 457.7 acres
  • Percent of Lynnfield Covered by Regional Components: 6.8%
  • BioMap Regional Components Protected in Lynnfield: 189.6 acres or 2.8%

See Additional Information below for information on data sources. 

Core Habitat Rare Species Core: 1,272.4 acres Forest Core: 311.9 acres Aquatic Core: 88.9 acres	Wetland Core: 609.8 acres Vernal Pool Core: 499.2 acres Priority Natural Communities: 14.0 acres
Critical Natural Landscape Landscape Blocks: 427.2 acres Coastal Adaptation Areas: 0.0 acres Tern Foraging Habitat: 0.0 acres	Aquatic Core Buffer: 208.5 acres Wetland Core Buffer: 467.6 acres
Local Components Local Landscapes: 800.9 acres Local Wetlands: 397.0 acres Local Wetland Buffer: 98.2 acres Local Rare Species Core: 0.0 acres	Local Aquatic Habitats: 211.7 acres Local Aquatic Habitat Buffer: 579.8 acres Local Vernal Pools: 0.0 acres
Regional Components Regional Connectivity: 0.0 acres Regional Rare Species Core: 457.7 acres

Map

View Lynnfield in BioMap: 

Go to map 

Additional Information

For more information about specific state-listed species that occur at a town level, visit the Rare Species Viewer on the NHESP website. To receive a list of state-listed species that coincide with a particular property, you can submit a Request for State-listed Species Form to NHESP.

Visit the Data Downloads and Resources page to download the GIS data layers of BioMap from MassGIS or to view a technical document with detailed methodology on the creation of BioMap and its components. Total acres were calculated using MassWildlife data layer “BioMap Town Selection Layer – March 2023”. Total acres of open space protected were calculated using MassGIS data layer “Protected and Recreational Open Space—January 2023” and the query “Level_Protection = Perpetuity”. Note that Core Habitat, Critical Natural Landscape, Local, and Regional Components can overlap. 

If you have any questions about this report, or if you need assistance with BioMap, MassWildlife's Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program staff looks forward to working with you.

• By phone: [phone]
• By email: [e-mail]
• By mail: 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581 

Date published:	July 28, 2023
Last updated:	July 28, 2023