When state forests or town-owned land are at stake, the public has a right to full information and meaningful participation before clearing begins. FVF advocates for environmental review, public comment, and accountability in every decision that affects the Island's forest cover.
The Need for Public Process
FVF is deeply committed to protecting the white pines at Manuel Correllus State Forest. But our mission does not begin or end there. We are building an organization with the capacity to engage a wide range of forest issues on this island for years to come.
Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Climate & Watershed Awareness
The Island's forests are doing important climate work — storing carbon, managing storm water, cooling and cleaning the air, providing habitat, and recharging the aquifer through soil infiltration. Decisions about forest management should account for these services, especially as the Island faces the accelerating pressures of a changing climate.
Town-Owned Land & Community Preservation Funds
Not all forest loss on Martha's Vineyard happens on state-managed land. Across the six towns, parcels of town-owned open space are being cleared and developed — and in some cases, Community Preservation Act funds are being used to help offset the costs.
The Community Preservation Act was created to help Massachusetts communities protect open space, preserve historic resources, and create affordable housing. Vineyard voters have consistently supported CPA funding with the understanding that a meaningful share goes to protecting natural resources. When those funds are used to facilitate clearing on town land — rather than to protect it — it raises important questions about intent, process, and accountability.
FVF does not oppose the use of town land for public good. We believe in housing, in public amenities, and in the legitimate need to balance competing priorities. What we advocate for is a clear-eyed, transparent process that accounts for the ecological value of what will be lost, and that ensures CPA funds are being used in ways consistent with the goals set out in the Island Plan.
What FVF is Asking
Full public disclosure when town-owned land with significant tree cover or ecological value is proposed for clearing or development.
● Ecological baseline assessments before any clearing begins on town parcels using CPA funds.
● Explicit accounting of CPA expenditures that affect natural resources, so the community can evaluate whether the conservation intent of the program is being honored.
● MVC involvement in reviewing large-scale clearing on town land as Developments of Regional Impact where appropriate.
The Residential Landscape & an Island-Wide Tree Ordinance
The most visible change to the Island's residential landscape in recent years has been the clearing of native trees, shrubs, and understory vegetation — replaced by maintained lawns, view corridors, pools, and landscaped grounds.
Cumulatively, across thousands of residential properties on a 100-square-mile island, the effect is significant: reduced habitat connectivity, increased surface runoff, loss of the native plant communities that support the Island's pollinators, songbirds, and other wildlife, and a gradual homogenization of a landscape that used to look distinctly like the Vineyard.
FVF's approach to the residential landscape is rooted in information and community conversation, not mandates. We are working toward a framework that makes the island-wide picture visible, gives landowners good information about the ecological value of what they have, and provides the Martha's Vineyard Commission with a consistent standard for considering tree cover as beneficial island infrastructure when evaluating new development applications.
The Case for an Island-Wide Tree Ordinance
Currently, each of the six Vineyard towns approaches tree protection differently — and most have limited tools to address incremental residential clearing. An island-wide tree ordinance, developed collaboratively with the towns and property owners, could provide several things that no town can provide alone.
FVF works toward island-wide policies and frameworks that reflect the cumulative reality of forest loss across all six towns.
What an Island-Wide Framework Could Accomplish
● A shared baseline. An island-wide inventory of significant trees and forest cover would allow communities — and the MVC — to understand what is being lost across the Island over time, not just parcel by parcel.
● A tool for the MVC. The Martha's Vineyard Commission reviews large developments as Developments of Regional Impact. A tree ordinance would give the MVC a quantifiable, consistent standard for evaluating the cumulative impact of development on forest cover — helping to put the Island Plan's open space and habitat goals into practice.
● Better information for landowners.Many property owners simply don't know the ecological or financial value of mature trees on their land. An island-wide framework could include resources, outreach, and technical assistance that makes stewardship easier and more appealing.
● Consistency and fairness.A framework that applies across the Island is fairer to landowners than a patchwork of town-by-town rules that varies from one street to the next.
FVF looks forward to working alongside the Martha's Vineyard Commission, the Vineyard Conservation Society, BiodiversityWorks, The Nature Conservancy, and the Trustees of Reservations — as well as individual landowners, town conservation commissions, and anyone who cares about the Island's natural character — to develop a framework that the community can embrace.
Island-Wide Framework
Our work draws from the wisdom of the Martha's Vineyard Island Plan.
What is the Martha’s Vineyard Island Plan?
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