Connecticut Forest Resource Roundtable Scheduled

BETHEL — On February 17, the public will have a unique opportunity to influence the direction of forest policy in Connecticut.

Connecticut is one of the most heavily forested states in America. Its forests clean air and water, shelter wildlife, sequester carbon, contribute tens of millions of dollars to the economy, and add immeasurably to the quality of everyday lives.

And yet every day, those forests are under threat. Invasive insects and diseases and a dense and growing human population continue to stress the forests in unprecedented ways. Conserving a healthy forest for future generations will require action: creating public awareness, identifying solutions to problems, and finding the collective will to follow through and implement good solutions.

A series of local “Roundtables” are taking place across Connecticut, with the next one to occur at the Fairfield County Extension Center, 67 Stony Hill Road, from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm.

(The other two local events are planned for February 12 at Holcomb Farm in Granby and February 27 at the Connecticut Forest & Park Association headquarters in Rockfall.)

Working together in small, interactive groups, participants will work to create agreed-upon visions for the future of forest resources; identify new and innovative ways to turn the visions into realities; and develop new relationships and strengthen existing partnerships to get the job done.

The results will lay the foundation for an important state forest planning process underway right now. This forest resource “assessment” and plan, under the direction of the Connecticut Division of Forestry, will directly impact the amount of federal funding Connecticut receives for future forest management and conservation.

Organizers are hoping to hear from the full spectrum of people who care about forests: those who own forests, who work in them, who use the woods to hike and recreate, even those who never go in the woods but appreciate that they are there. The visioning also includes the urban forest — the trees in cities and towns. The goal is to be inclusive; the strength of the process will be in the variety of voices participating.

In March, a final, statewide roundtable will pull the local results together into a comprehensive set of vision and action statements that will be the backbone of a new strategy for conserving Connecticut’s forests.

The Connecticut Division of Forestry and the US Forest Service are among the many agencies and organizations that will use the results to guide their policy, management, and financial decisionmaking in the years ahead.

A coalition of conservation groups is hosting a the forest resource roundtables including Highstead, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, the University of Connecticut Department of Extension, and the Society of American Foresters.

There is a $21.50 registration fee per person; parking, breaks, lunch and handouts are included. Online registration is requested and can be done at CTWoodlands.org.

The final, statewide roundtable will be Tuesday, March 16, at Middlesex Community College in Middletown. Fee for that event is $25. The event will run from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, and onsite registration begins at 8:30.

For additional information call Highstead at 203-938-8809 or Bill Bentley, Salmon Brook Associates/CFPA, at BillBentley@cox.net or 860-844-0008.