In nature, humans' influence virtually everywhere

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

Every time two of my friends come back from northern New England or Eastern Canada, they act as if they discovered pristine nature on their travels. The rivers are clear, the air is sharp and, they sigh, trees stretch in every direction.

But a new report says much of what they see isn’t pristine at all. More than 99 percent of the land in the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada is directly influenced by human activities, according to a research project by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The Human Footprint map (Red represents more human impact)

The Society created a detailed map of some 198,000 square miles Northern Appalachia and Acadia (The area from the Green Mountains of Vermont, east to Maine's North Woods and north to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec East of the St. Lawrence River) by analyzing roads, railways, farms, population densities and homes, forestry, mining, electrical utility corridors and dams. It turns out we have a lot more impact on areas – even those we may consider pristine – then many people may realize. Check out the interactive map at: http://atlas.2c1forest.org/maps.html?m=human_footprint&g=Human_Footprint

It makes sense, of course.

Although there are more trees than people in Maine, logging roads slice through a forest that has been repeatedly cut over the last 200 years. Old railroad lines – grown over in many cases – crisscross the region, as do more than 190,000 miles of highways and roads.

The report notes that even so-called wild lands such as the White Mountains, Central and Northern Maine and parts of Canada are becoming increasing fragmented and isolated from each other by zones of more intense human uses such as subdivisions and strip malls.

All is not lost, however.

Martens' live in the region (Photo by Susan Morse)

The map was designed to provide a detailed picture of the human landscape to allow planners and conservationists develop better strategies for land protection and use.

"People should not be discouraged by the extent of human impact shown by this map,'' said Gillian Woolmer, assistant director for the Wildlife Conservation Society-Canada. "Rather, the map can help identify opportunities for conservation and guide decision-makers as to how we use these lands so that we can keep both wildlife and wild places connected and close to home."

The study is part of a cross-border scientific initiative called “Two Countries, One Forest (www.2c1forest.org) designed to conserve the lands and wildlife of Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S.