A Tree Falls in RI’s Forest – Will it Make a Sound?

RI ranks first in U.S. for projected loss of forests by 2050 says report

Providence, RI—April 10, 2006—Rhode Island stands to suffer the biggest loss of its forests due to urbanization of any state in the nation by 2050, says a report in the December 2005 issue of the Journal of Forestry. The amount of forest projected to be the victim of encroaching urban development is 48.2 percent of the state’s existing woodlands. Rhode Island joins three other Northeast states, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey, as being the prime targets of the growing expansion of urban lands into forest areas.

“It is no understatement to say this is an eye-opener for anyone dedicated to preserving Rhode Island’s forests,” said Janet Coit, Rhode Island State Director for The Nature Conservancy. “While many people in the state point to our forested areas with pride, this report indicates we might lose as much as 50 percent of our 248-square miles of woodlands by 2050. That would be a devastating environmental and economic blow.”

As the Journal of Forestry report—“Projected Urban Growth (2000 – 2050) and Its Estimated Impact on the US Forest Resource”—explains, more urbanization and the accompanying population increase will increase air temperatures, degrade air and water quality and create negative impacts to human health and quality of life. “Trees and forests can provide many environmental and social/economic services” says the report, ranging from clean air and water and recreational opportunities, to enhancing wildlife habitats and providing general psychological well-being.

While fortunately the projections are not a guarantee, current methods of measuring the impact of urbanization based upon census data are deemed reliable by most researchers. Urban growth nationally is becoming a major focus, as groups like The Nature Conservancy work to strike a balance between inevitable development and conservation of important natural communities.

“If nothing else, these projections should push state agencies and conservation groups to work together now toward a long-range vision and plan for Rhode Island’s forest management,” added Coit. “If we don’t, it will be too late before we know it.”

The Nature Conservancy is currently working with local, state and federal officials, land trusts, and private partners on efforts to conserve remaining forest habitats in Rhode Island and southern New England. Recent key Conservancy initiatives have been the preservation of the forested headwaters of the Pawcatuck River, and the effort to protect a large stand of coastal forest in Tiverton. The Nature Conservancy also has an ongoing initiative to protect the largest area of unfragmented forest between Boston and Washington. Known as “The Pawcatuck Borderlands,” it is a 136,000-acre area of deep forests and clean rivers that straddles the Rhode Island and Connecticut state lines. The Conservancy efforts in The Pawcatuck Borderlands are aimed at permanently protecting the largest, most intact forested private properties from development. Land acquisition and the acquisition of development rights are the main tools the Conservancy uses. Central to the success of current forest conservation efforts is the Conservancy’s collaboration with Rhode Island DEM, The Champlin Foundations, and the Town of West Greenwich to save part of the upper Wood River watershed from development. The Conservancy is also working with the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council to build a network in the Pawcatuck Borderlands that allows citizens, landowners, developers, and planners to provide for economic vitality while ensuring the rural forested quality of the area remains.

Those interested in acquiring a copy of the “Projected Urban Growth (2000 – 2050) and Its Estimated Impact on the US Forest Resource,” can contact the Journal of Forestry web site at: http://www.safnet.org/periodicals/journal.cfm.