A call to pause State Forest cutting plan

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Updated on March 5th.

On the eve of the release of a highly anticipated plan to cut 175 acres of white pines from the Island’s largest conservation area, there is growing pushback for more public input. 

Planners are on the receiving end of renewed pleas to give more time to hear the public; and as complaints intensify, state and local conservationists involved say concerns will still be considered, and they have announced a public forum to present the plan. They have also noted the project won’t begin until the fall of 2025. 

But some Islanders want assurances they will be listened to, and that an official comment period for the project will be opened.

Since plans became more widely publicized in November, a number of Island residents have said that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has not publicized its management project within the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest (MFCSF) effectively, nor in a timely manner, and that the agency hasn’t given time to submit public comments.

Pushback over the proposal in general has increased in recent weeks, with a petition against the project reaching 931 signatures, as well as a YouTube video circulating on social media highlighting the extent of the project, which has reached more than 15,000 viewers. 

And it comes in anticipation of a state plan that is expected to be released on March 12 as part of a public presentation to the Island community, with a forum to follow.

Spanning more than 5,200 acres, the State Forest features trails, a disc golf course, and a rich habitat for animal and plant life — some indigenous to the land, some not. White pine trees, according to DCR, are not among those indigenous to the area. Some reports say they were planted as part of efforts for the Island economy to participate on a local level in the lumber market. Other studies have found evidence that pine may have existed here thousands of years ago.

Many locals see the forest as a walking trail and historical landmark. In some parts of the forest, the canopy reaches to cover gaps in the sky — sunlight squeezing through in a few places while blocked in others.

DCR recommends the removal of white pine trees in order to return parts of the forest to a sandplain environment, therefore encouraging a supportive landscape for native and increasingly rare species. 

According to a DCR spokesperson, the project dates back to 2001, when a conservation permit issued by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program required DCR to submit restoration plans and action for fire management, maintenance, and the restoration of sandplain heath or pitch pine, oak, or scrub oak in the State Forest. 

The conservation efforts came to the attention of the public a few times in the past couple of decades, but many Islanders say these efforts were not advertised extensively until 2024, when a walking tour of the forest was conducted by DCR forester Paul Gregory this past November, promoted by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC). 

However, that latest push may have come too late, as the official public comment period on DCR’s plan in 2022 was closed that same year. The State Forest was one of many initiatives across the state listed in the document that offered the opportunity for the public to weigh in. The comments were mainly from Massachusetts residents who raised concerns or support for various forestry projects elsewhere, including in Otis, Townsend, and Carver. Edgartown, and the State Forest, were grouped into the larger proposal outreach, and the public input intended by such efforts appears to have been lost in the process. 

While the state received many comments, not a single Island resident submitted one.

To some locals who are speaking out against the continuance of the project, the fact that no Islander wrote in raises questions of whether there was enough publicity about the plan. 

Prudy Burt, West Tisbury conservationist and environmentalist, said she wasn’t aware of DCR’s cutting plans until she attended the walking tour this past fall. She’s concerned about a few aspects of the project, including the motivations for it, and carbon storage and climate implications of removal of the trees.

Burt said she’s hoping there’s more public discourse about DCR’s next steps. In her opinion, a more open discussion with local experts and community members is in order, and a more thorough investigation of the carbon impacts a project like this could have. 

“Those white pine plantations are one of our densest carbon storage areas on the Island,” Burt said. She questioned what cutting the white pines would mean for the environment: “We’ve lost the carbon storage, we’re using fossil fuels to take [trees] off-Island, and then what?”

David Foster, former director of the Harvard Forest — a 4,000-acre research area, and one of North America’s oldest managed land reserves — and local ecologist, also pushed for the state to listen to local voices on the matter. 

“My suggestion is really that the state stop and take a break — and actively engage people on and off the Island,” Foster said. “There are lots of knowledgeable locals that could make a better-informed plan.” 

Foster said the removal of white pines in the State Forest deserves more research, and a revision should be considered. At one point, he was involved in the plan, and a task force that was assembled to tackle the project locally. Now he’s advocating for a pause instead. 

“This plan has been around for a long time, which is one of the reasons I think it should be modified. A lot has happened since this original plan was written,” Foster said. He also noted he’s optimistic about continued dialogue between the Island community and the state. The cutting plan is not necessarily a guarantee, and he said his understanding of these plans is that they often change along the way. 

According to MVC meeting minutes from a task force overseeing the State Forest, while they have been supportive of DCR’s plan, some members have raised concerns about the lack of public discourse as well. 

The MFCSF Task Force was formed by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC), and includes the West Tisbury and Edgartown Fire Departments, Polly Hill Arboretum, Biodiversity Works, Friends of the State Forest, and more local conservation groups. The group recently released a position paper that focused on next steps and information for the public.

Dan Doyle, the special projects planner at the MVC, has been vocal about his ongoing research efforts regarding the DCR project. He says the project will not be started for some time, and there’s still room for discussion. 

In a letter he sent to DCR’s Gregory in January, he also acknowledged the possibility for “broader community support.” 

A DCR spokesperson told The Times there are efforts being made to increase transparency. They said outreach at the present moment is focused on Martha’s Vineyard stakeholders — including local legislators and town officials. The next steps of the plan involve a public presentation and subsequent forum, where locals can attend and speak up about their concerns, questions, or hopes for this restoration project. 

The spokesperson did not respond to a question from The Times about whether a comment period would be officially opened.

The presentation, scheduled for March 12, will be an opportunity for Islanders to have their voices heard, and learn more about the forest cutting plan.

According to a DCR spokesperson, DCR is looking forward to a native ecosystem restoration that will be home to 34 state-listed and one federally listed rare species, and continued management will be crucial. They stated the plan is focused on forest resiliency and potential wildfire management. 

“This project is aligned with the state’s Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative and its Climate Forest Committee’s recommendations,” a DCR spokesperson stated. “DCR is initially concentrating on 79 acres. Phase 1 will give us an idea of cost, and we will be able to apply these management practices to future phases … [It] will include creating small three-acre openings in a highly dense white pine plantation … [and] overstory removal of white pine, and leaving existing oak trees.”

While some locals have been aware of DCR’s project since November, even more haven’t heard about the forest cutting plan until recently, or realized the scale of it. A video posted on Facebook group Islanders Talk by Michael Blanchard — local photographer and former president of the board at Misty Meadows — showed an aerial view of the part of the forest that will be cut down. Some comments are from Islanders who said they had no idea this project was happening.

Blanchard said he posted it hoping for a broader discussion about DCR’s plans, and a more grounded approach before the project moves forward. While he may not support the plan to cut 175 acres, he’s had a positive view of some of DCR’s projects in the past. 

But he believes some of the plans for this project are alarming and that Islanders — for or against the project — need more time to understand what is proposed. Since his video went live, he said, he has been approached repeatedly by locals who have expressed alarm at the size of the project. Blanchard said he has friends on both sides of this issue, and believes more communication could help everyone involved reach a collaborative consensus. 

“It all comes down to a judgment of what you value,” Blanchard said of the cutting plan. “The point is discussion, and education — let’s talk about it.”

This post has been updated to reflect DCR’s restoration and cutting plan in the State Forest will begin in the Fall of 2025, not 2026 as was previously reported.