Lynnfield Woodlot

An important ecological and drinking water resource, this land will eventually provide a gateway to the trails of Willis Woods, the adjacent 600-acre area of forest owned by Lynnfield, and the Lynnfield Center Water District, as partners continue to work to improve and formalize public access to that land.

Greenbelt’s Stewardship team has installed signage, officially welcoming visitors to Greenbelt’s first property in the Town of Lynnfield.

The protection of this property eliminated the threat of new wells in an area that is already vulnerable to drinking water stress, kept forests intact for cooler air, cleaner water and important wildlife habitat, and helped preserve Lynnfield’s beautiful character.

At the time of contact with English settlers in 1638, this area was inhabited by members of the Pawtucket group (often called Penacook). The Indigenous people subsisted by hunting, fishing, the collecting of wild plants and shellfish, and agriculture. Freshwater fish were plentiful in its ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. Crops such as corn, beans, pumpkins, squash, and tobacco were grown.

Lynnfield's 2020 Municipal Vulnerability Plan identified the protection of this land as a priority, and Greenbelt’s county-wide land conservation prioritization ranked the parcel as a “Critical Priority” for drinking water, a “High Priority” for natural resilience, and a “Priority” for Inland Flood Mitigation.

The effort to permanently protect the land from development began when a developer had an agreement to buy the property as part of a 15-lot subdivision for $2.7 million.

Greenbelt and the Town partnered to purchase the land. Greenbelt owns and manages the property and Lynnfield holds a permanent Conservation Restriction.

There are over 3,200 trees in the Lynnfield Woodlot, primarily white pine and red oak that provide a habitat for a variety of species. Deer can be found throughout the property.