Wood Turtles: Conservation Considerations for Forest Landowners

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI), and other conservation partners developed this resource to recommend voluntary actions managers of working forests in the Northeast can take to help conserve the wood turtle, which has experienced population declines across its range. 

“Wood Turtles: Conservation Considerations for Forest Landowners” is the first landowner outreach product to come out of the Wildlife Conservation Initiative, an unprecedented agreement between the Service, NAFO and the NCASI formalized in 2023 to advance the conservation of at-risk and listed species on private working forestland across the nation. 

Other project collaborators by geography:

• Maine: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry; Maine Forest Products Council; and Maine Woodland Owners
• New Hampshire: New Hampshire Fish and Game; and New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association
• Vermont: Vermont Fish and Wildlife; Vermont Woodlands Association; and Vermont Forest Products Association 
• New York: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; and Empire State Forest Products Association 
• National: Sustainable Forestry Initiative; American Forest Foundation; and Forest Landowners