10 Year Pine Barrens Restoration Plan

Public Meeting on Pine Barrens Restoration plan was held in 2018.

DCR announced a 10 year plan to treat 1,109 acres of forest land in the southern part of Myles Standish in 2018. This will involve cutting down white pines, thinning pitch pine density (by cutting), burning, mechanical clearing, etc. in areas surrounding Charge Pond and Fearing Pond, the Camp Cachalot easement and MassWildlife areas outside the forest. The campgrounds will not be closed. Trails may be closed while work is going on.

A map of the proposed sections was published by the DCR. The area to be treated includes several MassWildlife areas outside the forest. The plan is to treat sections in the order shown on the map. Two areas had already been cut.(marked as year 0)

The full 10 year pine barrens restoration proposal is viewable on the DCR website.

In 2023, newly elected Gov. Healey imposed a 6 month moratorium on logging, effectively pausing the 10 Year Pine Barrens Project for that year, since logging has normally been done in the winter season. A scientific panel was appointed by the Governor to make climate sensitive proposals for managing state-sponsored logging going forward with an eye on the Governor's announced plans for reducing atmospheric carbon emissions and increasing carbon sequestration.

The Climate Forestry Committee's report came out in January 2024. One part recommended that the State reduce its plans for restoring lower successional habitat. That would seem to argue against what is being done in MSSF. Another part said that there would be criteria set up for deciding what to do going forward-- except for special areas like Myles Standish SF and Manuel Correllus SF (on the Vineyard), which were getting more active management.

A meeting with the DCR Commissioner in February 2024 indicated that there were would be public meetings on the resumption of the plan. It is assumed that the State will propose going forward with the plan for the previously announced reasons. However, others are unsettled or are outright irate at the idea of any continued logging. Opponents contend that they are variously: appalled by the loss of sequestered carbon, or distressed about creating a heat sink in the new clearings, as well as aesthetic and other concerns.