Ecological Management
Mass Audubon manages more than 40,000 acres of wildlife habitat across the state, ranging from barrier beaches to open fields to northern hardwood forests. We regularly inventory and monitor our land and implement management actions to ensure that Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries truly are protecting the nature of Massachusetts.
Our staff members are leaders in habitat management planning, invasive species control, dam removal, and restoration of salt marshes and grasslands. We also share these skills with conservation partners through our Land Management Consulting program (Ecological Extension Service).
Specifically, Mass Audubon’s approach to Ecological Management includes:
Planning
Every wildlife sanctuary is covered by a current ecological management plan. These plans identify the conservation assets provided by a sanctuary and prescribe actions necessary to maintain or enhance those assets in the face of 21st century challenges. Through this planning process, Mass Audubon strives to choose management actions that have measurable and lasting benefit to the nature of Massachusetts.
Habitat Management
We actively manage wildlife habitat across our entire wildlife sanctuary system to maintain and enhance uncommon, exemplary, and vulnerable natural communities on our land. This includes invasive species control, carefully planned restoration, and grassland and shrubland maintenance.
Ecological Restoration Program
The Ecological Restoration Program uses restoration and management techniques to build climate resilience, improve biological diversity, protect water quality, and rejuvenate beautiful natural places for people to visit and enjoy. Learn more >
Coastal Resilience Program
Mass Audubon’s Coastal Resilience Program uses climate adaptation and nature-based climate solutions to focus on the protection, management, and restoration of four coastal priority habitats. These habitats include salt marshes, bird breeding islands, beaches, and coastal uplands. Learn more >
Forest Management
Forests of various ages provide many ecological services including wildlife habitat, flood and erosion control, public health benefits, recreational opportunities, and carbon sequestration. Protecting our forests from development is a crucial first step to secure these natural benefits. Learn more >
Climate-Smart Forestry
Climate-smart forestry (CSF) is an emerging approach to forestry with practices that promote healthy forests and support carbon sequestration under changing conditions, allowing forests to be part of the climate change solution. For these reasons, Mass Audubon is committed to climate-smart forest management on its wildlife sanctuaries and on lands across the state. Learn more >
Invasive Species Management
Mass Audubon considers invasive species to be one of the greatest threats to the nature of Massachusetts because they out-compete, displace, or kill native species. Our approach to addressing invasive species includes projects on our wildlife sanctuaries, supporting statewide initiatives, and educating the public. Learn more >
Capturing Carbon
Mass Audubon has enrolled 10,000 acres of our forests in a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Improved Forest Management project, the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Since the carbon stored in these acres exceeded the regional average value, we were awarded more than 600,000 offset credits, which were then sold on the CARB carbon offset market. Learn more >