With the 2008 Farm Bill, states were tasked with assessing the condition of their trees and forested land, both public and privately owned, and developing strategies to conserve and protect forests, both working and non, and to enhance public benefits from trees and forests.
Over 175 million acres of forest (about 23% of forestland in the US) are found in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions. Ownership patterns and multiple uses make forest management a complex issue in these heavily populated regions. The first Forest Action Plans, completed in 2010 by all 59 states and territories, describe forest resources, identify threats to forestland and management, and challenges, and establish goals for investing federal, state, local, and private resources to achieve conservation goals. It is mandated that the plans be updated every 10 years. Updated Plans were submitted to US forest service in 2020 for approval. The plans serve as a link from federal funding to on-the-ground implementation of funds to achieve conservation goals.
The updated Connecticut Forest Action Plan can be found on the CT-DEEP website: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Forestry/CT-Forest-Action-Plan, and be sure to have a look at the excellent interactive maps describing the plan and priority areas in the state!
The Massachusetts Forest Action Plan is available here: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/massachusetts-forest-action-plan. Check out the interactive map for a visual tour of plan highlights and samples!
The Rhode Island 2020 Forest Action Plan can be found here: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/forestry/forest-action-plan/index.php.
See an executive summary here: http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/forest/pdf/forest-action-plan/fap-es.pdf