An Easthampton, Massachusetts nature reserve hopes to bring back a rare form of forest after earning a new environmental designation from the state.

Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary — part of Mass Audubon — wants to convert about 20 acres of grassland into a floodplain forest, which is considered an imperiled habitat.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s office named the project one of 11 restoration priorities – a designation that makes it easier to apply for grants.

Arcadia director Jonah Keane said, in the past, many forests near rivers were cleared for farmland — and one of those areas in Arcadia gets very wet.

“It’s not ideal grassland, so our thinking was, let’s take advantage of this good site that was historically forest and restore some of this rare eco-system,” he said.

Keane said they’d like to bring back trees like the American Elm that grow best in floodplains.

Tim Purington, director of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, said the Arcadia project stood out because it’s unusual to see efforts to bring back floodplain forests, which he says can help stop the flow of floodwater.

Two other Western Massachusetts projects – a dam removal in Southampton and restoration of Fearing Brook in Amherst — are also on the state’s priority list.

Purington said Western Massachusetts is considered a leader in ecological restoration.

“A lot of the communities [in Western Massachusetts] understand the connection between healthy watersheds, clean rivers, and the vitality of their communities,” says Purington. “It’s great to work with those types of people and those types of communities who really get those connections.”