Why Protect Sandy Brook?
Ecological Significance
Forest
fragmentation has resulted in declines of several deep forest species and
natural processes. Protecting large
areas from this threat is necessary to preserve the variety of naturally
occurring habitats and maintain ecosystem integrity. In southern New England the Sandy Brook
Conservation Corridor (SBCC) offers one of the best chances to conserve
existing large forest blocks and create effective linkages to natural areas and
protect our native species.
Permanent
forest fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to
New England’s landscape. In some parts
of the region it is projected that up to 63% of private forestland may be
cleared by 20301. This type of disturbance limits wildlife
movement and decreases forest patch size to levels intolerable to some
species. There are at least twenty birds
in the northeast that have been negatively impacted by forest fragmentation, many of which can be found within
the SBCC2.
In
order to maintain healthy ecosystems a connected network of preserves must be
created. Contiguous forested areas offer
greater species richness than can be found in isolated woodland patches. Such a system of
protected areas provides habitat for animals that require large ranges, who
would be unable to survive in smaller disconnected spaces3. If
the existing protected forestland within the Sandy Brook region is not expanded
and connected, the risk of fragmenting the landscape is too
great.
1Foster, David R., et al. 2010. Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for theNew England Landscape. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press.
2Rosenberg, K.V., R.W. Rohrbaugh, Jr., S.E.
Barker, J.D. Lowe, R.S. Hanes, and A.A. Dhondt.
1999. A Land Manager’s Guide to Improving Habitat for Scarlet Tanagers andOther Forest-Interior Birds. Ithaca:
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
3Noss, Reed F., and Allen Y. Cooperrider. 1994 Saving Nature’s Legacy: Protecting and Restoring
Biodiversity. Washington, D.C.: Island
Press.