The future of New England’s landscape, which is mostly forested and owned by thousands of private land owners, is uncertain due to development pressure, changing forest management practices, and climate change. The New England Landscape Futures Project co-designed four land-use scenarios with more than 200 stakeholders that differ from a business-as-usual future, and simulated each scenario’s land-use from 2010 through 2060. Major themes of the scenarios include settlement patterns, energy use, land protection, and timber harvesting practices. The scenario maps can be used for ecosystem services research and public engagement, and are available in a publicly accessible web tool.
Expected impact: various groups (land-use planners and government entities, scientists, conservation organizations) can use the scenarios to stimulate community dialogue, guide plans and actions, and articulate the case for policies and resources to help achieve positive outcomes for people and the land.
The scenarios were made in: 2015
The scenarios look out to: 2060
