North County Land Trust conserves the latest addition to an 1,867-acre landscape protection project.
A multi-year endeavor closed this April with the protection of 140 acres at Laurel Ledge Tree Farm in north Fitchburg. The landscape will remain protected for forestry and habitat, the latest in an ambitious conservation partnership project facilitated by NCLT that covers 1,867 acres across the region.
Laurel Ledge Tree Farm’s mixed aged trees protect the headwaters of the Fallulah Brook, expanding the greenway for an important tributary of the Nashua River. Though not open to the public, the private conservation restriction-protected landscape provides impressive environmental benefits to the community—Laurel Ledge Tree Farm includes core endangered species habitat and expands the protection area for Fitchburg’s drinking water supply.
To ensure their land remained protected forever, owners Maryellen Mara-Christian and Mark Christian reached out to North County Land Trust to explore their conservation options. As it happened, it was an opportune moment for their land to be a part of something big: a large-scale landscape protection project made possible with a grant from the Forest Legacy Program.
In 2023, the Nashua, Squannacook & Nissitissit Wild & Scenic Rivers Forest Legacy Project was formed to become a regional effort to permanently conserve 18 tracts, totaling 1,867 acres, within a 20-by-20-mile forested landscape. NCLT is involved as a tract manager for three out of the 18 tracts and as overall project coordinator.
“Projects like Laurel Ledge Tree Farm exemplify the collaboration needed to protect land.” says Faith Salter, Executive Director of North County Land Trust. “It depends on persistent engagement by community members, municipal staff, and conservation experts to bring it over the line.”
With the protection of Laurel Ledge Tree Farm now complete, the NSN Wild and Scenic Forest Legacy Project moves 140 acres closer to accomplishing the full goal. Partners will continue to close on additional tracts in the coming months, ultimately joining an enduring, landscape-scale effort to safeguard the forests, waters, and wildlife that define north central Massachusetts forever.
Interested in your land conservation options? Contact Anna Wilkins, Director of Conservation and Climate: awilkins@northcountylandtrust.org.