Habitat Management Resources

The following links provide valuable information for those who want to manage their lands for wildlife and for public enjoyment.

Resources

• Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan
  This Plan presents the 570 Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Commonwealth, the 24 types of habitat that support these species, and the actions necessary to conserve them.
• Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool
• Forestry Conservation Management Practices for Rare Species
  Find specific, science-based guidelines for conservation of rare species during forest harvesting.
   
• Mowing Advisory Guidelines for Turtle Habitat: Pastures, Successional Fields, and Hayfields
   
• Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Best Management Practices for Controlling Invasive Plants
   
• Forest Regeneration Handbook
  This handbook was developed to provide an appreciation of how our forests developed and an understanding of forest regeneration concepts, including the importance of disturbance. The information contained in this handbook will help landowners and public officials, in concert with professional foresters, make informed decisions about forest regeneration options tailored to their management objectives
   
• Managing Grasslands, Shrublands, and Young Forest Habitats for Wildlife: A Guide for the Northeast
  This guide contains chapters on using management tools like prescribed fire and herbicides along with habitat management case studies.
   
• Habitat Stewardship Brochure Series
  The series titles include: Vernal Pools, Peatlands, Shrublands, Floodplain Forests, Grasslands, Appalachian Oak-Pine Forests, Lowland Spruce-Fir Forests, Marsh and Shrub Wetlands, Hemlock-Hardwood-Pine Forest, Shorelines, Northern Hardwood-Conifer Forests, and Headwater Streams.
   
• New England Cottontail Best Management Practices
   
• American Woodcock: Habitat Best Management Practices for the Northeast

Other grant/assistance programs

Additional habitat management grants and technical assistance programs are available from other state and federal agencies. MassWildlife can assist in identifying which of these can be utilized for various management activities, making contact with the applicable staff, and coordinating with them to develop projects.

State Programs

• Forest Stewardship - Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation - This educational non-regulatory program is designed to help private and public landowners protect the inherent ecosystem values of their forest. Recognizing the public benefits of good stewardship on private forestlands, the Massachusetts Forest Stewardship Program (MFSP) supports and encourages private forest landowners' efforts to manage, enjoy, and care for their land using a long-term approach.
• Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Division of Ecological Restoration
• Division of Conservation Services

Federal Programs

• U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Financial Assistance Programs
  NRCS offers financial and technical assistance to help agricultural producers make and maintain habitat improvements on their land.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program - The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools, and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitats on their land. We have biologists located in several field offices throughout the Northeast Region. Projects are voluntary and customized to meet landowners' needs.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program - The Coastal Program is one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's most effective resources for restoring and protecting fish and wildlife habitat on public and privately-owned lands. The Program provides technical and financial assistance to partners interested in coastal community conservation. In the Northeast, we have biologists at the following four offices; Gulf of Maine, Southern New England, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay.

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Fish Passage Program - The Fish Passage Program works with local communities on a voluntary basis to restore rivers and conserve our nation’s aquatic resources by removing or bypassing barriers. Our projects benefit both fish and people.