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State officials endorsed a plan to cut almost 200 acres of white pines in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest, without an environmental impact report that was sought by some Islanders opposed to the plan.
The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office, which conducts reviews of environmental impacts of development projects, under Assistant Secretary Tori Kim found that earlier processes and other documents were sufficient to stand in the place of a report, and issued a six-page advisory opinion on the matter on Dec. 26.
The goal is to remove 175 acres of white pine plantations by 2035, but phase one of the project, approved by MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program in July, includes a 52-acre cut of white pine plantations, in an effort to restore native species in the State Forest. The effort is led by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), as landowners of the 5,300-acre forest…