Eastern Forests

Audubon enlists landowners and foresters to help support birds that depend on forested landscapes along the Atlantic Flyway, training them in bird-friendly forestry practices and promoting legislation that provides incentives for forest preservation. This innovative program, pioneered by Audubon Vermont, has trained 80 percent of that state’s foresters. In 2011 the program’s guidelines were adopted by the state as an official reference for management plans used by landowners in a tax incentive program for those who commit to keep their land—collectively more than one million acres to date—in forest.

Across the Atlantic Flyway, Audubon has engaged landowners and foresters responsible for managing nearly 4.5 million acres. In partnership with the Belize Audubon Society, Audubon is also working to protect forested winter habitat for the Wood Thrush and other neotropical migrants. Audubon will expand both the reach and scope of this pragmatic approach to conservation, including promoting policies that offer economic incentives for forest preservation in both Latin America and the United States. 

Theory of Victory: Audubon can support viable populations of seven priority bird species throughout their lifecycles by establishing a protected and properly managed network of forested landscapes all along the Atlantic Flyway.