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Working for Wildlife

MassWildlife's Habitat Programs

MassWildlife restores and manages critical habitats to help conserve the diversity of wildlife and plant communities in the Commonwealth for generations to come.

Learn how our work is helping wildlife thrive

Featured habitat projects 

MassWildlife's team of Foresters, Wildlife Biologists, and Restoration Ecologists use a variety of tools to create, restore, and maintain a diversity of open habitat types that provide homes for rare and common wildlife. Projects are carried out in all parts of the Commonwealth.

Habitat goals 

MassWildlife's management activities focus on declining habitat types that provide homes for vulnerable wildlife. Habitat projects maintain open grasslands, dense shrublands, vibrant young forest, and dedicated forest reserves on MassWildlife lands.

Habitat Program in the news 

MassWildlife has been creating and restoring wildlife habitat for decades. Click the link to see some of the many articles and news stories about the program.

Why is habitat management needed?

Human development has decreased open habitat types like grassland, shrubland, and young forest in Massachusetts. Wildlife that rely on these habitats will continue to decline without focused habitat restoration and maintenance.

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Tools for creating quality habitat

Wood harvest, mowing, and mulching 

Several tools are used to create, restore, and maintain a variety of habitat types including grassland, shrubland, and young forests on public lands to meet habitat goals. Tools include wood product harvest, mowing and mulching, invasive plant management, and prescribed fire.

Prescribed fire 

Historically, fire played a fundamental role in shaping a patchwork of open habitats and forested areas across the state. MassWildlife uses prescribed fire to improve and maintain habitat for wildlife.

Invasive plant management 

Invasive plants pose a great threat to our native species and wildlife habitats. MassWildlife carefully treats invasive plants to favor growth of native plants.
Check out our Youtube playlist to see footage from projects and presentations by our staff 

What about carbon?

Land protection and management provide big gains for both wildlife and climate.

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