This document discusses the importance of land, specifically trees and forests, for climate solutions and public health. It provides examples of tree planting programs in 14 U.S. cities that improved health outcomes and reduced air pollution. The document also outlines Massachusetts' programs and resources to increase tree canopy cover, improve forest and soil health, encourage sustainable land use, and engage communities and colleges in climate-resilient land stewardship. Quantified data shows that Massachusetts' state forests currently absorb about 16% of the state's emissions through carbon sequestration in above-ground biomass and soils.

1. LAND – OUR MOST IMPORTANT
CLIMATE SOLUTION
March 29, 2019
Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs
Bob O’Connor, Forests and Land Policy Director

2. TREE PLANTING FOR PUBLIC HEALTHAND
SOCIAL JUSTICE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
2
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to
pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
― Martin Luther

4. PLANTINGTREESTO IMPROVE HEALTH IN
14 CITIES
 Two studies (NYC and U.K.) both
found that significant reduction in
asthma hospitalizations with 1-2
trees per acre
 MA has 3 of 20 top “Asthma Capitals
(Springfield #1, Boston #11,
Worcester #12 – Metro areas include
other cities)
 Trees filter the air of harmful
particulates (p.m. 2.5) and cool the
neighborhoods during heat waves
when ozone is formed
 Louisville, KY planted a buffer btn a
school and busy road and student
health monitoring shows significant
positive results and particulate
pollution was reduced by 60%
behind the tree filter.

5. GRANVILLE ST.
BEFORETREE
REMOVAL
11/3/20145
After tree
removal

6. 4YEARS AFTER REPLANTING
6

7. 5-10TREES PER ACRE...1% IN 8
YEARS
5-10% IN 30YEARS
7
Greening the Gateway Cities: Planting new
trees in low-income neighborhoods in
Gateway Cities. Goal of adding new tree
canopy cover to 5- 10% of area of target
neighborhoods

8. 150 Seasonal
Planting Jobs
Created; 20 Year-
Round Forestry Jobs
8 DCR Crews
14 Cities total in
Spring 2019
3 Contract Crews
GGCP Provides Jobs and Training

9. A TREEWITHIN 50 FEET OF WHERE 20,000+
PEOPLE LIVE!
9 11/3/2014 Commonwealth of Massachusetts -- Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020: Tree Canopy Program

10. BROADENINGTHE CONSERVATION
COMMUNITY
 Working with human service, gardening, affordable housing
and conservation partners to customize the program in each
community…
 New partnerships with Community Health Committees…

11. Correlation between land surface
temperature and canopy cover in the 58
Hobo sensor sites
Tree cover has evident
cooling benefits in Chelsea
with an average
temperature decrease of
1.7°F in the summer season
(June-August) based on the
47 thermal sensor
observations
Spatial analysis from
Landsat-8 images also
shows lower land surface
temperatures with
increasing tree canopy
cover.

12. MA FOREST
PROGRAMS AND
RESOURCES
 Continuous Forest Inventory plots on
state and water supply forests (415,000
acres)
 Working Forest Initiative – Stewardship
Plans, “Foresters for the Birds” plans, FSC
Group Certification, Estate Planning
 Harvard Forest’s “Changes to the Land” –
2013 analysis of forest, land use carbon
storage and climate change scenarios
(varied development, conservation,
forestry and agriculture practices)

13. DCRWORKING FOREST INITIATIVE
 DCR partners with FLT, MGLCT, MAS and UMass
 1,596 landowners with 152,073 enroll in Forest Stewardship
with plans and 81% also join Chapter 61 (Forest Current Use
Law)
 Land trusts, colleges, sportsmen clubs etc. have also
received plans
 87 towns with 44,367 acres have also received forest
stewardship plans
 11 towns have received stewardship grants
 Survey with 450 responses showed that owners spent
average of $2,200 to implement plans and 40% of owners
are trying to conserve their woods by contacting land staff

14. -3.0
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
MTCO₂e/ac/yr
SURVIVOR
REVERSION LIVE
INGROWTH
MORTALITY
HARVEST
CHANGES IN ABOVE GROUND LIVE CARBON
STOCKS ON STATE FOREST LAND
Introduction Quantification review DCR forest carbon stocks Factors affecting stocks
DSPR system; forested land, 1960 - 2017= sample year

15.  Historical estimate of net change (Above Ground Live
MTCO₂e/yr):
SUMMARY OF CARBON STOCKS ON
STATE FOREST LAND
1960 - 1965 486,235
1965 - 1980 604,700
1980 - 2000 477,919
2000 - 2017 204,112
Introduction Quantification review DCR forest carbon stocks Factors affecting stocks

16. HEALTHY SOILS PLAN
 Improving soils stores carbon, adds
fertility, reduces costs and improves
drought response
 20 public meetings to educate and
collect input into the plan
 Working Group to develop the plan
for agriculture, forest and lawns
 Completion in summer, 2020
 MA forest growth currently absorbs
about 16% of our collective emissions
– soils can add to this!

17. SUSTAINABLE COLLEGE CAMPUSES
 MA colleges own 15,000 acres of land serving
450,000 students
 50% of land in “top ten”: BU, Harvard,Amherst,
Northeastern, UMass Amherst, Hampshire, UMass
Dartmouth, Stonehill, andTufts
 ALPINE (Academics for Land Protection in New
England) – focuses on land conservation – forums
to connect land conservation to college programs
and lands

18. MA RESILIENT LANDS INITIATIVE
 A statewide vision for land conservation
and stewardship updating our 2004 plan
 Looking at all our natural resources with
a diverse work group focusing on farms,
forest, urban open space, public health
and safety, water supply, economic
benefits, and outdoor recreation
 Focusing on how land can improve
climate resilience for people and nature
 A year-long effort with public workshops
for each topic prior to work group policy
discussions
 A ten-year initiative to link the vision to
implementation

19. A NEW MODELTOVALUE LAND FOR
CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR PEOPLE
 A user-friendly, science-
based GIS model to rate
land projects
(conservation or
restoration) for climate
resilience for people
 Development just
starting with Dr.Timothy
Randhir of UMass,
Amherst

20. COMMUNITIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE CLIMATE
Communities and developers would get
incentives for new or infill development
and projects for land carbon storage.
New proposed incentive program for no
net loss of carbon from open lands,
encouraging smart growth and climate
resilience.

21. NEW MA LAND USE/COVER: AERIAL IMAGE

22. LAND COVER

23. LAND USE (GENERALIZED FROM PARCEL MAPPING)

24. LAND COVER WITH LAND USE LABELS

25. LAND COVER AND USE COMBINED

26. THINK ABOUTTHE LAND