State officials are planning to clear out some 32 acres of white pines in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest in an effort to allow more native species to return, and to mitigate wildfire risks, a project that some Islanders have pushed back against.
The Department of Conservation and Recreation, which manages the over-5,300-acre forest, is looking to replant 175 acres of woods into sandplain heathlands and barrens consisting of scrub oak and pitch pine.
As part of the plan, DCR wants to clear pine planted on the Island between the 1930s and 1990 for the lumber industry.
Paul Gregory, the department’s Southeast district forester, said white pines have “overpowered” indigenous plant species, such as oaks.
Originally proposed in 2022, the first year of the project would tackle a 79-acre area in Edgartown where there are 32 acres of white pine plantations.
The exact timeline and costs of the whole project have not been determined yet. But the state held a tour recently that “culminates a public process” which included a public meeting and a written comment period.
Under the proposal, the state plans to remove non-native trees and replace them with species more compatible with the rare creatures that make the forest their home, like the eastern whip-poor-will and the imperial moth — both listed in the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. Additionally, the newly planted species will be “fire-dependent,” making prescribed burns and mechanical mowing easier. Replanting and managing native plant species will also make it easier to decrease the amount of material that can start fires in the forest.
“We’re trying to make up for … the lack of management,” Conor Laffey, the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest superintendent, said during a tour on Thursday, Nov. 7. Islanders have been calling for improved management of the State Forest for decades, Bob Woodruff, a member of Friends of M.F. Correllus State Forest, and former director of the Vineyard Conservation Society, told The Times. That cry intensified recently after the department cleared a homeless encampment in the forest this August, a move widely criticized by Islanders.
Thursday’s tour started at the southern end of Fire Road 12, which meets Edgartown–West Tisbury Road. The group of around 20 Vineyard officials and residents got a look at three areas where the state was planning to conduct its project, including wooded spots on Red Trail and on Fire Road 11.
At each spot, department officials told Vineyarders about the goals of the project and the boost of biodiversity it would bring.
“There’ll still be a forest; we’ll just be getting rid of species that shouldn’t be here,” Gregory said. He also said similar habitat management projects have been done before, such as removal of red pine more than 10 years ago in the State Forest.
Despite Gregory’s efforts to assure Islanders about the project’s soundness, attendees questioned the state’s approach.
Several attendees were concerned about the carbon footprint from the project, which would bring in equipment like skidders and tree chippers to remove the white pine trees. Many of the wood chips would need to be transported off the Island due to the large amount expected to be produced in the process.
The carbon emissions from the project were something the state had not calculated, Gregory said. Still, he said there would be an effort to keep as much material on the Island so the wood could also be used locally.
The diversification of plant species in the forest would make the environment more resilient to pests and diseases that are “likely to worsen” from climate change, according to the state.
Still, there were worries over the addition of pitch pine in the planned barren habitats. David Foster, director emeritus of the Harvard Forest, who authored a 1999 report on the management of the Vineyard’s State Forest, said this tree species was not common on the Island, nor does it have a history of growing on the Island before the white pine plantations. He also pointed to the risk of Southern pine beetles, an invasive insect that forced the clear-cutting of pitch pine in forests like Phillips Preserve in Tisbury.
Additionally, some attendees were concerned about the disturbance the work would bring to the animals living in the project sites, alongside soil disturbances. According to Gregory, there may be some disturbances to wildlife, but the project would ultimately be a benefit to the forest ecosystem. And the department plans to avoid soil disturbance during its work.
Some questioned the need for the project altogether. Ben Robinson, a Tisbury representative to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, pointed out that native plants like oak and blueberries have grown between the white pine areas. He advocated for letting nature take its course.
Gregory said the project areas were not at their “full potential” as rare species’ habitats, saying the project was a return to the native species before the white pine were planted.
Vineyarders who heard of the plan also wrote letters to the editor and the state protesting the proposition.
For me, White Pine is the Most Beautiful species we have in New England.
And, Let’s be Clear.
White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a Native species in Massachusetts. While, saying that White Pine is “invasive” or “overpowering” is a judgement call. That’s not enough to justify DCR tearing out beautiful trees and giving us an ugly scared landscape for decades to come.
So one group of environmental experts says we need to cut down acres and acres of trees to save the environment but another says if we continue to cut down trees our planet will overheat. And how is one invasive species good in one sense and not in another? Since the trees were planted for the lumber industry why is there no mention of turning them into lumber for affordable housing. Why turn them into wood chips at all? Why cant all that lumber be used for clean burning firewood for island residents. In any event this article shows that no matter the project there will be many obstructionists who deem themselves experts on what’s best for the rest of us.
Pine is a horrible choice for firewood as it creates so much creosote.
Trees are not al the same.
White pine is the low life of trees.
I worked in the State Forest under Manny Correllus for twelve years, and the idea the State has to clear-cut the White Pines is foolish and short-sighted. They want to encourage native species, which is fine, but by clear-cutting, which is always a bad idea, and encouraging Pitch Pines, which, granted, are native trees that are dying in large numbers, you are making more of a fire hazard in the end. Pitch Pines will reseed in such numbers as to create a scrub, which will be a much worse fire hazard. Maybe the White Pines are not native, so thin them out instead of a clear cut. They are beautiful trees and are not being hit by the Southern Pine Beetle and dying on masse like the Pitch Pines. Chas de Geofroy
Not all people think the same.
Back in the 80’s I got a permit to cut wood in the state
forest– I was permit # 20 over the years I got a lot
of clean burning firewood.It was well managed and was
designed to reduce the risk of fire.
I agree with Charles– clear cutting is always a bad
idea. At least environmentally.
I am curious as to why there was nothing in this article
about making lumber out of it — I agree with Carl–
make lumber– there are a few mills on this island but probably
would be insufficient to handle the quantity.
A quick search turned up this mill:
https://www.tmgindustrial.com/products/tmg-industrial-27-portable-sawmill-14-hp-kohler-engine-21-board-width-11-log-length-14-track-bed-tmg-psm27
It can handle a 12 ft long 21 inch diameter log for under $4,000.
The managers of this project could buy 5 or 6 of them and churn
out lumber. and provide some jobs. How could it not be cost
effective ? When they were done, they could sell them.
Of course , some of it would have to be chipped, but I can’t
believe they would have to be shipped off island.
Let’s shoot that idea down right away.
No one who wants to heat with firewood “as cleanly as possible” would choose to use pine — white or otherwise. Please don’t deceive yourself or others about this practice. Perhaps you didn’t cut pine in the State Forest. But if you did, it was not clean-burning firewood.
Juleann–I cut a mixture of both from the state forest.
True that pine has
more pitch in it than hardwoods. But that does not
necessarily mean it doesn’t burn as “cleanly” when used
properly. In the context of what “clean” means in today’s
conversation about carbon, the idea is to reduce carbon
emissions. Burning any kind of wood that is destined to
simply decay will release the same amount of carbon as it
will during the decaying process.
In terms of particulate matter being released, any
hot fire will burn cleaner that one that is smoldering.
Pine or otherwise. If I have some pine I want to use ,
I open the stove up and let it roar. If the woodstove is
cold, this brings it up to temperature quickly.
Nice on a cold morning. Now of course, when I do that,
the percentage of heat actually getting into my house
vs the amount going up the chimney is reduced.
Either way, my propane furnace uses less propane.
Keep in mind, we get no heat and no fossil fuel reductions
from a pile of woodchips slowly decomposing somewhere
off island– not to mention the energy used to transport it
to wherever it will be dumped.
Having said all that, I do not recommend that people
use pine as their primary species of
wood to burn in a wood stove– The creosote buildup
in the chimney is dangerous. And use only seasoned
wood —green oak will also not burn “cleanly” and will
cause creosote buildup.
It’s a good idea to have your chimney cleaned every year
or possibly 2 regardless.
Don’t buy the rotting firewood releases the same amount of carbon as burning it. It’s true it only holds x amount of carbon. But it’s the rapid release of the carbon while burning wood which is the problem. It like a flash flood of carbon into the environment just like if a damn breaks. But one of man’s biggest weaknesses is the do as I say not as I do mentality. Mankind will twist words and do all sorts of mental gymnastics to try and justify their bad behavior. Burning wood to heat your home snd flying in private jets is not good for the environment no matter how many pretend environmentalist tell you it’s ok. Funny how that works.
Carl– let’s look at the rapid release of carbon argument.
Specifically, what “rapid” means.
In the case of discarded wood, it’s about
10 years. Since I have been heating with wood for
the last 45 years, I am overall “carbon neutral” for about 35
of those years– let me clarify— everything I burned
before 2014 would have released all the carbon contained
in that wood by now. By burning wood over those 35 years,
I did not burn tens of thousands of gallons of some sort
of fossil fuel. So let’s review the situation–
I put zero pounds of carbon into the atmosphere over what
would have been from 1976 to 2014. Admit it Carl– all the wood heating
that I did had exactly the same amount of carbon emissions as if I had
drove by it and let it rot. Now– on the other hand, you, and a lot of other
people also–myself included have been heating
with some form of fossil fuel– rapidly adding to the release of carbon–
Like a damn breaking— The difference is that the burning of
wood has a “return to the environment” time frame of about
10 years– Fossil fuels have return to the environment time frame
of about 10 million years.
Burning fossil fuels and flying in private jets is not good for the environment no matter how many actual anti environmentalist tell you it’s ok. Funny how that works.
Stop! Look! Listen! STOP:Hopefully, these alert and knowledgeable whistle-blowers can stop this uni-lateral, unstudied and massive removal of a tree type that is increasingly rare on MV ––the “ever” green tree that helps lift us through the winter. LOOK!: At the areas have already been already been stripped to produce “sandplain heathlands”, but instead produce ugly scars and areas that require maintenance and mowing, LISTEN: Exactly what “native species” are expected to spring from this wasteland? We hear nothing of exactly what we should expect in return for our beautiful native white pine. (If it is truly fire prevention, it should begin with removal of huge branch piles in surrounding neighborhoods, instead, do we hear chainsaws for the sale of profitable lumber?)
LISTEN to Mr. Foster: If you want to support resilient forests and resilient landscapes, you want to let the things that are doing really well grow.”
“According to Gregory, there may be some disturbances to wildlife, but the project would ultimately be a benefit to the forest ecosystem.”
Hmmm, destroy wildlife now to save it “later.”
Sound familiar? Same Rube Goldberg thinking as the idea that sacrificing a few North Atlantic right whales and probably the whole species is fine because in a century or two nature will actually be better off . . .
Famous last words?
Please, heed the advice of David Foster, who probably knows more about forests, and our Vineyard forests, than the whole DCR staff put together.
This sounds like a DCR make-work project.
I don’t understand the drive to get rid of white pine. According to the USDA,
“Adaptation and Distribution:
Eastern white pine grows on a variety of soils ranging
from light, sandy to heavy textured soils. White pine
ranges across southern Canada from Manitoba to
Newfoundland, throughout the northern and eastern
states from Minnesota and northern Iowa to the
Atlantic coast, and southward along the Appalachian
mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama.”
It sure sounds like white pine is at home in our region.
“Plant Fact Sheet
National Plant Data Center
EASTERN WHITE PINE
Pinus stobus L.
Plant Symbol = PIST
Contributed by: USDA NRCS New York State Office
Uses
Timber: The wood of white pine is light, durable, and
easy to work. It is good lumber for toys, boxes,
cabinet work, and similar items.”
Just because it was planted on the Island doesn’t mean it should be violently eradicated now.
Is it actually hurting anything? Is it an invasive species?
Planting pitch pine and other species sounds like more “we know better” interference with nature with unpredictable side effects.
I’m sure the white pine planters were just as sure they knew what they were doing as the current DCR crop with their pitch-pine brain storm. Rinse and repeat.
There is at least one sawmill on the island.
These millers should be given the opportunity to harvest the usable white pine and sell it to local builders and others. The unharvested white pine should be left in place until it either dies or is large enough to harvest—or, hey!!, just leave it alone.
None of this wood should be chipped and shipped.
Madness.
What Katherine said — nice, factual articulate comment.
except about the whales of course. Windmills do not kill whales
It’s true — humans kill whales. In alll kinds of ways, including drilling for windmills.
Isn’t it rich to witness the most invasive species on earth arguing about invasive species
It seems like we may need to revive the Vineyard effort to secede from the State of Massachusetts. The “state” did very little to manage the Forest, so now they prefer to just cut it down. Maybe they could get inmates from the jail to help with raking?
Wait DCR? Doesn’t the C stand for conservation? Ugh
This is terrible news. That area of the Forrest is an amazing, majestic refuge that should be left alone or perhaps selectively culled if it needs some “management.”
Please reconsider this action and LISTEN to the voices of those in the community who actually use that area. Maybe we’ll have to get the chains and winter coats out and “SAVE THE TREES!”