Moritz Forest, Acton

Moritz Forest, Acton
Moritz Forest. Photo by SVT.
Moritz Forest Overview. Photo courtesy of Acton Conservation Trust.

Success, June 11, 2025: The Town of Acton granted a conservation restriction (CR) to SVT over the 33-acre Clement and Elizabeth H. Moritz Forest Conservation Land, completing a conservation success story that has been years and years in the making. 

The Town purchased the property on April 10 with the help of several partners, including SVT, the Acton Conservation Trust, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Commonwealth awarded a $500,000 Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant to the project, which required that the acquisition and the CR be completed by the end of June 2025. 

By granting the CR to SVT, the Town has permanently protected this undeveloped open space within the Nashoba Brook corridor. Thank you to everyone who supported this important conservation effort! 

The Moritz Forest Project

SVT is delighted to support the Town of Acton in the protection of the 33-acre Clement and Elizabeth H. Moritz Forest (known locally as Wetherbee Woods), in the eastern part of town.

Part of an open space complex within the Nashoba Brook corridor, Moritz Forest sits adjacent to both the Town-owned Wetherbee Conservation Land and the popular Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. This area of town, located along Route 2 not far from the Concord Rotary, is known as the “Agricultural Gateway” of Acton.

Moritz Forest has long been a priority for protection by the Town of Acton, and after several years of conversations, the landowners generously agreed to sell the land to the Town for less than the appraised value. The Town asked SVT to hold the conservation restriction (CR) to ensure the ecological features are permanently protected. 

The protection of Moritz Forest:

  • Safeguards the nearby Nashoba Brook and wetlands, protecting water quality and enhancing flood and drought resilience.
  • Preserves forest, wetland, and vernal pool habitats that are home to a diversity of wildlife.
  • Conserves a critical piece of the larger open space corridor, ensuring connectivity of habitat areas.
  • Increases opportunities for passive recreation, including expanding the trail network along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. 

The Town has proposed a loop trail that will enable visitors to enjoy the natural areas of this property. Stay tuned for news of an official trail opening celebration in the coming months.

Why Protect This Land?

Moritz Forest and the adjacent 73-acre Wetherbee Conservation Land are part of an open space complex within the Nashoba Brook corridor. The corridor also includes the Town’s 32-acre Morrison Farm (with a community garden and meadows that support numerous species of wildlife) and the Acton Water District’s 549 Main Street property that provides protection for the drinking water supply. (SVT and the Town co-hold a conservation restriction on the latter property.) 

The wooded areas of Moritz Forest consist of mostly white pine and hardwoods including red oak, white oak, red maple, and black birch, and the land offers potential habitat for a variety of species such as coyote, mink, red fox, opossum, and bat, as well as owls, raptors, and forest birds.

Nearly 18 acres of Moritz Forest are identified as BioMap Critical Natural Landscape and/or Local Aquatic Habitat Buffer associated with the adjacent Nashoba Brook, and The Nature Conservancy has identified the land as important to protect for inland flood resilience and aquifer recharge potential. 

Moritz Forest has areas of wetlands including two certified vernal pools that can provide habitat for spotted turtle, wood frogs and salamanders. Nashoba Brook also runs along the eastern side of the property. 

The property also expands recreational opportunities in the area, as it sits next to the popular Bruce Freeman Rail Trail that will eventually run from Framingham to Lowell. The Town has proposed a loop trail for Moritz Forest that will enable people to enjoy hiking through the natural areas of this lovely property.

Project Map

Moritz Forest (outlined in red) sits adjacent to Nashoba Brook and within a corridor of conserved open space.

Moritz Forest--Wetlands and Open Space Context Map

How We Protected This Land

For several years, the Town, Acton Conservation Trust, and SVT were in conversations with the landowner about conserving this ecologically rich land. 

Following a 2023 appraisal that valued the land at more than $4 million, the landowner agreed to sell the property to the Town at a bargain sale price of $3.6 million.

  • At a Special Town Meeting on November 25, 2024, Acton residents voted to approve the purchase and the use Community Preservation Act Funds and other Town Funds.
  • The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also awarded a $500,000 Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) grant to the project.
  • The Acton Conservation Trust generously contributed $100,000 that it raised through a local fundraising campaign.
  • SVT contributed $50,000 toward the purchase. SVT now holds the conservation restriction on the land. (SVT thanks the Family of George and Doris Meyers for its financial support of the project.)

To comply with the terms of the state LAND grant, the Town was required to purchase the property by June 30, 2025 and the CR also had to be completed by that time.