State experts want to talk to forested land owners

Connecticut state foresters are gauging the impact of a free service meant to advise and guide the private land owners who control about three quarters of the state’s forested acres.

For years, foresters with the state Department of Energy sand Environmental Protection have visited properties and talked to owners and land trust representatives about timber harvesting, invasive species, insect damage, and other topics affecting forest health. Now the forestry division is comparing data on visits with statewide demographics to assess the program’s impact and make sure foresters are reaching as many people as possible, state service forester Frank Cervo said Tuesday.

Last week, Cervo met with members of the Essex Land Trust to discuss invasive plant control, diseased beech trees, and creation of a shrubland habitat for wildlife. Visits are initiated by the private landowners, who typically own at least 10 acres. The service also is available to municipalities.

Forests cover 56 percent of Connecticut and of that 1.8 million acres, 73 percent is owned by individuals, families, land trusts, tribal owners, clubs, and corporations. Municipalities own an additional 9 percent, according to DEEP.

“This means that the efforts taken by private and municipal landowners have an enormous influence over the quality and extent of our forests,” according to a DEEP description of the forest service program. “Understanding forests, taking an active interest in their dynamics, and implementing a forest management program are among the best things an owner can do to promote long-lasting forest health and associated ecological, social, and economic benefits.”

On visits to landowners, Cervo said he wants to hear about their goals for the property and how he can help achieve those goals. Before each visit, he gathers maps and other information about the parcel before walking and talking with the owners on site and making recommendations.

Frequent topics include: Spongy moth has killed trees

• Insect damage. For instance, the throughout the state, particularly oaks. In some cases, robust saplings are growing in the area and the land owner need take no action. In other cases, Cervo said, he might advise the owner that a tract has too many single species and there’s a need to diversify to make the forest healthier and more resilient to insect damage and other disturbances such as windstorms and flooding.

• Timber harvesting. When a landowner talks about logging, Cervo said he asks about the owners’ goals. Is the idea to make money? Connecticut has “a fairly robust forest products industry,” he said. Besides trees cut for firewood, hardwoods such as oak and maple are harvested for furniture and flooring, while lower-grade lumber is used for items such as railroad ties and softwoods are used for construction and interior paneling. He also noted that some insect-damaged trees are still marketable.

Overwhelmed by invasive plants

• Invasive species. Some owners say they are , Cervo said. He will help figure out a first step, for instance, by seeing where an invasive such as barberry is causing the most damage and make a recommendation to tackle that area first. The foresters also refer owners to contractors who remove invasive plants and also to cost sharing resources, Cervo said.

Also, owners may have ideas or plans that would conflict with local, state, or federal laws and policies, and Cervo said he will advise them on alternatives.

“We can help them figure out how to operate within those regulations,” he said.

Service foresters make followup visits to assess the effects of their recommendations, figure out what went well, and next steps. Information compiled from the visits helps DEEP and other organizations such as the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station gauge the health of the state’s forests, Cervo said.

Advice and technical assistance to forest landowners also includes wildlife habitat management, stream and wetlands protection, and enhancements for recreation and aesthetics. DEEP spokesperson Paul Copleman said Tuesday a forester told him the program dates back to about 1913, when the first Connecticut forest land classification program for property tax assessments occurred. The effort at that time was to reforest the state after expansive agriculture and clearcutting for charcoal production, Copleman said.

For more information and to make an appointment with a service forester, visit DEEP’s service forestry support site.