Conserving Forested Land Combats Climate Change and Sustains
Benefits to Local Communities
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos
today announced more than $1.35 million in grants to six land trusts to
help protect local forests that are key to achieving the state's
objectives to protect open space and reduce the emissions that cause
climate change. Grant funding will be used to acquire new easements to
help keep forests as forests, safeguarding the ecosystem services they
provide that include stormwater mitigation, temperature regulation,
carbon sequestration, and climate resiliency.
"Working in close
partnership with land trusts across New York State is critical to
protecting forest lands from the pressures of development," Commissioner Seggos
said. "In the face of the ever-increasing
challenges of climate change, the $1.35 million in land trust grants
announced today are helping conserve New York's forests by sustaining
their ability to provide wildlife habitat and forest products, reduce air
and water pollution, and contribute to the overall health and wellbeing
of local communities."
The grants, managed by DEC in
partnership with the Land Trust Alliance, were made available through
the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts
(FCELT) Grant Program.
"Protecting forests in
New York does so much for nature and people," said Jamie Brown, New York Program
Manager for the Land Trust Alliance. "This
program helps to ensure that forests will continue to offer many benefits
for future generations, both in terms of connected ecosystems and the local
economy. The Land Trust Alliance and our nearly 90 New York land trust
members appreciate Governor Kathy Hochul, the
New York State Legislature, and the DEC's support of this program that
will continue to allow land trusts to work with willing landowners to
protect their forested lands and benefit all of the people of New
York."
Funded projects:
Adirondack Land Trust, Warren
County: $350,000 to purchase a conservation easement that will
protect 500 acres of forest in the Adirondack Park. The forest is comprised
of beech and sugar maples with strands of hemlock-northern hardwoods. In
addition to the forest, the easement will protect wild shoreline along
the Hudson River, 1.5 miles of streams, and significant wetlands.
Additionally, the property will improve recreational opportunities and
protect wildlife habitat in the Hudson River corridor, goals established
in the New York State Open Space Plan.
Saratoga PLAN, Saratoga
County: $301,497 to purchase a conservation easement on a
435-acre forested property located in the towns of Greenfield and Wilton.
The property is a key project in the PLAN's initiative to protect the
40,000 Palmertown Range that is part of the
southeastern corner of the Adirondack Foothills. Saratoga County is under
extreme development pressure, and the Palmertown
Range represents an area critical for the movement of wildlife, providing
climate resilient habitat, and recreational opportunities. The
conservation easement will allow the landowners to sustainably harvest
the forested tract while ensuring it will remain a forest and continue to
provide these benefits for future generations.
Western New York Land
Conservancy, Cattaraugus County: $227,474 to
purchase the Perrysburg Headwater Forest conservation easement consisting
of approximately 152 acres of forested area within the headwaters of the
Allegheny River. The property contains both mature hemlock-northern
hardwoods forest and maple basswood forests, as well as mature beech
trees free from any diseases. The land is also a part of the Western New
York Wildway, an initiative to protect and
connect the region's largest and most climate resilient forests to
benefit people and wildlife.
Dutchess Land Conservancy, Dutchess
County: $189,605 to purchase a conservation easement on the
71-acre Johnston Forest property, which is adjacent to the Appalachian
Trail and West Mountain State Forest. The property is in a critical
forested corridor that connects the northern and southern Appalachians.
The forest offers great value for habitat connection and a portion of the
land has been classified as "Important
Foraging Area for Rare Bat" by the New York Natural Heritage
Program. Protection of the land will help ensure that important water
sources remain safe and clean, as it contains nearly 2,000 feet of DEC
Class A stream and several springs that supply local drinking water to
nearby communities. Mature and undisturbed oak and hickory are the
predominant trees on this forested parcel.
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust,
Lewis County: $181,150 to purchase a conservation
easement that will protect 375 acres of forest and wetlands within the
core of the Tug Hill Plateau forest - an area listed as a priority for
protection in the New York State Open Space Plan. The Campell
Conservation Easement property is surrounded by thousands of acres of
protected forest owned by The Nature Conservancy, New York State, and Tug
Hill Tomorrow Land Trust. The easement will protect a beech-maple mesic
forest, a marsh headwater stream, and a spruce-fir swamp, along with
significant wetlands.
Mohawk-Hudson Land
Conservancy, Montgomery County: $104,609 to
purchase a conservation easement in the town of Esperance that will
protect 102 acres of mostly forested land. The forest contains a wide
variety of species, including red pine, mature Eastern hemlock, birch,
aspen, and healthy beech trees. The land offers breeding habitat for
several birds listed as "species of greatest conservation
need," including American woodcock, American kestrel, eastern
meadowlark, and bobolink. It also is located within a "pinch
point" of climate resiliency and wildlife movement that connects the
Adirondacks with the Catskills. The landowner is committed to using the
property for environmental education and as a catalyst for additional
future forest protection in an area under increasing development
pressure.
Funding for this grant
program was provided by the State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
In the 2023-24 State Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul
maintained EPF funding at $400 million, the highest level of funding in
the program's history. The EPF also provides funding for critical
environmental programs such as farmland protection, invasive species
prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality
improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.
Founded in 1982, the Land
Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works to
save the places people need and love by strengthening land conservation
across America. The Alliance represents more than 950-member land trusts
and their 6.4 million supporters nationwide. The Alliance is based in
Washington, D.C., and operates several regional offices. More
information about the Alliance is available at the Land Trust Alliance
website.
Map of 2023 Grant Awards (PDF)
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