The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is "To protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all." The agency is the largest landowner in Massachusetts.
Mount Greylock State Reservation is public recreation and nature preservation area on and around Mount Greylock, the highest point in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The park covers some 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) in the towns of Lanesborough, North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, Williamstown and New Ashford, Massachusetts. It was created in 1898 as Massachusetts' first public land for the purpose of forest preservation.
Mount Washington State Forest is a 4,619-acre (1,869 ha) state forest in the Mount Washington, Massachusetts. The forest conjoins with New York state and the state of Connecticut in the southern Taconic Mountains of the southwestern Berkshire region of Massachusetts. In addition to offering recreational and scenic opportunities, the forest lies adjacent to Bash Bish Falls State Park. It is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Douglas State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features located in the town of Douglas, Massachusetts, bordering both Connecticut and Rhode Island. The state forest's 5,525 acres (2,236 ha) include Wallum Lake and a rare Atlantic white cedar swamp, 5 acres (2.0 ha) of which are designated as a Massachusetts Wildland. The forest is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Monroe State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest with recreational features located in the towns of Monroe and Florida. A small portion of the borders the state of Vermont. The forest is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Mount Everett State Reservation is a public recreation area in the towns of Mount Washington and Sheffield, Massachusetts, that offers panoramic views of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York from the summit of 2,624-foot (800 m) Mount Everett. The reservation abuts Jug End State Reservation and Wildlife Management Area; Bash Bish Falls State Park and Mount Washington State Forest lie to the west. All are managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Mount Grace State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features located in the town of Warwick. The state forest centers around Mount Grace, which at 1,621 feet (494 m) is the third highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River after Mount Wachusett and Mount Watatic. It is bordered by portions of Warwick State Forest to the east and west and is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Leominster State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features covering 4,246 acres (1,718 ha) in the Massachusetts towns of Leominster, Fitchburg, Princeton, Sterling, and Westminster. The state forest encompasses an extensive trail system, numerous small ponds, and the Crow Hills. Plants such as mountain laurel are common as is an abundance of wildlife. The forest is headquarters for Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control District 8 and is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Myles Standish State Forest is a state forest located in the towns of Plymouth and Carver in southeastern Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of Boston. It is the largest publicly owned recreation area in this part of Massachusetts and is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
Spencer State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest and recreation reserve located in the town of Spencer, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The 92 mile (148 km) Midstate Trail passes through the state forest. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also conducts logging in some parts of the property.
Willard Brook State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features located in the towns of Ashby and Townsend, Massachusetts. The forest's fast-running brook and tree stands of a classic New England nature give it a character more in line with that of the forests found farther west in the state. It is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Otter River State Forest is a publicly owned forest and recreational preserve located in the towns of Templeton, Winchendon, and Royalston in Massachusetts managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The state forest encompasses the land surrounding the junction of the Otter and Millers rivers. Habitats include freshwater marsh, northern hardwood stands, and pine groves planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps to reforest former farmlands.
Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest is a Massachusetts state forest in the northern Berkshire Hills in the towns of Hawley, Plainfield, and Savoy. The forest is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). In 1985, the forest was named in memory of Kenneth M. Dubuque, a former employee of the Department of Environmental Management.
F. Gilbert Hills State Forest is a 1,027-acre (416 ha), pine and oak Massachusetts state forest located in the towns of Foxborough and Wrentham. The forest, which is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), was named for a former State Forester and employee.
Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features measuring 1,109 acres (449 ha) that overlap the City of Lowell, and the towns of Dracut and Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. The forest, which includes some 180 acres (73 ha) of ponds, swamps and wetlands, is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Harold Parker State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features encompassing more than 3,300 acres (1,300 ha) in the towns of Andover, North Andover, North Reading, and Middleton, Massachusetts. Ponds, swamps, rolling hills, glacial erratics and rocky outcroppings can be found in the state forest, which features more than 35 miles (56 km) of backwoods roads and trails as well as remnants of 18th-century farming and milling operations. It is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Windsor State Forest is a state forest in the town of Windsor in northwest Massachusetts. Managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the forest is noted for the Windsor Jambs waterfall, which cascades through a 25-foot-wide (7.6 m) gorge between 80-foot-high (24 m) granite walls. Trails are available for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. The park's former camping and swimming areas are currently closed but its day use area is slated to reopen in the spring of 2021.
Chester-Blandford State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features located in the two towns for which it is named, Chester and Blandford, Massachusetts. The state forest includes remnants of small mining operations and the 60-foot cascade at Sanderson Brook Falls. It is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Upton State Forest is a publicly owned forest with recreational features primarily located in the town of Upton, Massachusetts, with smaller sections in the towns of Hopkinton and Westborough. The state forest encompasses nearly 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) of publicly accessible lands and includes the last remaining Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Massachusetts, built in Rustic style. The CCC campground was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
