• Massachusetts Conservation Tax Credit Calendar 2012

    If you are a landowner with property that has significant natural resource value and you are interested in donating either all or a portion of that property to permanent protection, (i.e. a Conservation Restriction) then this program may be for you. The Commonwealth now provides up to a $50,000 tax credit on these kinds of qualified donations starting in 2011.

  • Land Protection

    Land conservation, a priority of the Patrick Administration and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, is the protection of land with important resources for drinking water supplies, rare plants and wildlife, prime "working" farms and forestland, unique outdoor recreation sites, and the best remaining urban greenspace.

  • Planning & Land Use

    The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) promotes good land use planning through a variety of programs, policies, and initiatives.

  • Sustainable Forest Management

    The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) coordinates and supports projects within its three departments that collectively manage over 500,000 acres of forest land across the state to independently evaluate these lands for the highest standards of sustainable forest management. EEA also supports the highest standards for forest management on the state's more than two million acres of private forest land.

  • MA Smart Growth/ Smart Energy Toolkit

    The Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit provides local officials and other stakeholders the tools to change local zoning in ways that encourage the siting of renewable energy facilities, conserve land, and enhance stewardship of natural resources. Toolkit modules include narratives, model bylaws, case studies, slideshows and resource links on mill revitalization, smart energy, wind power, environmental equity, smart parking, wastewater alternatives, form-based codes, and fifteen other techniques.

  • Land and Recreation Grants & Loans


  • Agricultural Grants & Loans


  • Greenways and Trails

    A comprehensive list of the state's trails and greenways with links to available web sites.

  • Historic Landscape Preservation Program

    The Historic Landscape Preservation Program supports the preservation of historic landscapes across the Commonwealth by providing technical assistance to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations, increased awareness of historic landscapes in Massachusetts, publications that educate the public in caring for historic landscapes and leadership toward the preservation of cultural landscapes under DCR ownership and management.