• Start-up
  • Planning
  • Action
  • Evaluation

At Willard Brook State Forest, managers from Massachusetts DCR are using forest management practices including prescribed fire to restore and enhance structural diversity and wildlife habitat across a forest-field ecotone.

More frequent and severe storm events and increased pressure from invasive species threaten the stability of the forest and field ecosystem that provides habitat for bat species at Willard Brook State Forest. By using prescribed fire and intentional harvesting, managers aim to restore and promote structural and species diversity to support bat habitat amidst a changing climate.

Project Area

Photo of open field with surrounding forest
The Stoddard’s Field Restoration project is located within Willard Brook State Forest in Ashby, MA. This portion of the State Forest is located within a matrix of rural residential homes, a trail network, and a nearby campground. The project area consists of both a forested portion (central hardwood-pine forest, dominated by white pine and red oak) and an open field portion, both at low-moderate elevation (745-800 feet), with nearby water sources of Damon, Vinton, and Pearl Hill Brook Ponds.

The goals for the project are to restore the edges and native warm season grasses of the open field area and to restore early successional structure within the forest area in order to foster healthy bat habitat across the forest and field portions (see interrelated Management Goals 1 & 2) and conduct invasive species treatment to control oriental bittersweet and glossy buckthorn (Management Goal 3). To restore and revitalize the open field portion, managers are working in cooperation with MA DCR Forest Fire Control to conduct an initial prescribed fire. This fire will be followed with routine return burns, per consultation with Fire Control and State wildlife biologists, which will provide opportunity for State and local fire programs to receive wildland fire training. Additionally, Park Staff will develop interpretive signage and/or programming highlighting the use of prescribed fire in ecosystem management, particularly for promoting native warm season grasses and enhancing wildlife foraging opportunities.

Management Goals

Goal # 1: Restore field ecosystem using prescribed fire to facilitate improvement of wildlife habitat, primarily for little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus).

  • Install a bat shed at the edge of the field as an additional summer roosting area for native bat populations. (1-2 years)
  • Restore and expand field as optimal foraging habitat using repeated prescribed fire. (5-10 years)
  • Retain large diameter trees for roosting within patch cut areas. (2-5 years)

Goal # 2: Increase forest age and species diversity

  • Use patch cuts to release advance regeneration and facilitate development of early successional and climate-adapted species. (2-5 years)

Goal # 3: Reduce invasive plant and insect threat across project area

  • Identify presence of any invasive plant and insect populations on site and determine the extent of these populations. (2-5 years)
  • Treat oriental bittersweet and glossy buckthorn currently out-competing native species on site. Reduce cover to less than 10%. (2-5 years)

Climate Change Impacts

For this project, the most important anticipated climate change impacts include:

Previous human influences, including fragmentation and fire suppression, may have reduced the adaptive capacity of some central hardwood-pine forests.
Invasive species such as buckthorn, honeysuckle, garlic mustard, and bittersweet are expected to increase in extend or abundance in the region given changes in climate.
Certain insect pests and pathogens will increase in occurrence or become more damaging in the region.
Many of the dominant tree species in central hardwood-pine forests are projected to have similar or increased habitat, including black, chestnut, scarlet, and white oak and pignut and shagbark hickory.
The winter season will be shorter and milder across New England and northern New York, with less precipitation falling as snow and reduced snow cover and depth.
The growing season in the region is generally expected to increase by 20 days or more by the end of the century.
Intense precipitation events will continue to become more frequent in the region.
Forest vegetation in the region may face increased risk of moisture deficit and drought during the growing season.

Challenges and Opportunities

Climate change will present challenges and opportunities for accomplishing the management objectives of this project, including:

Challenges

Increased heavy precipitation events, lack of winter snow cover, and an earlier growing season could limit installation window for bat shed.
Drought and more frequent heavy precipitation events could limit burn window.
Lack of frozen ground/snowpack and increased precipitation could limit operational harvest window.
Ice storms could damage tops or even take down larger trees, especially those with cavities valuable for roosting.
Summer droughts or runoff from increased precipitation events could hinder germination and increase seedling mortality.
Longer growing seasons could promote the spread of invasive plants and insects (i.e., glossy buckthorn, oriental bittersweet, hemlock wooly adelgid).
Travelers seeking cooler recreation areas in forest cover have the potential to introduce new non-native species to the site.

Opportunities

Any harvesting activities could be done in summer months, especially during drier spells.
Oak species on site can withstand periods of drought and warmer temperatures.
Prescribed burning will reduce fuel loads and extend the fire break between forested land and a public road, reducing wildfire risk in increased drought conditions.
Overstory removals in the white pine stand can promote regeneration and reduce stand density to combat potential southern pine beetle infestations in the future.
Current spread of invasive plant species on site is limited.
High levels of tree diversity on site may enhance the ability of the forest to cope with changing conditions.

Adaptation Actions

Project participants used the Adaptation Workbook to develop several adaptation actions for this project, including:

Area/Topic
Approach
Tactics
Wildlife habitat mangement
Prior to initial burn, clear pioneering shrubs/trees off of field perimeter to restore field size to original dimensions.
Conduct prescribed burns in overgrown field to encourage native grass regeneration. (Initial burn within 1-2 years, and then every 1-3 years following)
After initial burn, continue mowing yearly to maintain field condition.
Retain large diameter trees for bat roosting.
Forest ecosystems
Use patch cuts to release advance regeneration and facilitate early successional development of climate-adapted tree species.
Remove/treat invasive plant species located on site including oriental bittersweet and glossy buckthorn. (3-5 years)
Monitor, identify, and remove any insect pests found to be present on site.

Monitoring

Project participants identified several monitoring items that could help inform future management, including:
Presence and percent cover of invasive plant species (Goal: less than 10% coverage; Timeframe: during and after treatment and as part of routine site maintenance in perpetuity)
Implementation of periodic prescription burn plan on 8 acres of the project area. (Goal for initial burn: greater than 40% of the ground layer and greater than 50% of emergent woody vegetation burned)
Presence and growth/survival of climate-adapted native regeneration

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