Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) hosted an Informational Woods Tour for the public at the Lower Block of Paugussett State Forest October 21.

The afternoon walk with DEEP representatives from the Divisions of Forestry and Wildlife welcomed more than a dozen residents, including State Representative Mitch Bolinsky, in the parking area at the end of Stone Bridge Trail.

Officials explained that they would be doing a guided walk through land referred to as W-457 that is scheduled for an upcoming forest product harvest by DEEP. The goal of doing the selection harvest in 41 acres is to expand habitat for the New England Cottontail and to create young forest growth conditions.

Jill Humphreys, DEEP Division of Forestry/Bureau of Natural Resources welcomed everyone, sharing information about the management plan that was approved this year for lower Paugussett State Forest.

“In Connecticut there are almost 200,000 acres of state forests, and over 30 state forests. Each forest has a management plan and a management strategy that includes forest management like we are doing here,” Humphreys said.

This forest management plan covers the 1,100 acres of the Lower Block, while most are familiar with the Upper Block that is along Lake Lillinonah.

“This area, most of it was acquired in 1945 from developers that were planning on developing on the newly created lake for the views, but World War II happened and the Great Depression. The state, at the time, was looking to expand its state forest, so it acquired the majority of these 1,100 acres,” Humphreys explained.

Before the developers, most of the land was owned by the American Brass Company — and before that, Coe Brass Manufacturing, which merged with other companies to become American Brass. They would clear-cut the area, create charcoal mounds, and burn most of the wood.

When the land was acquired by the state, she said, it was considered a “young forest,” “very low quality,” and had “no products to be harvested.”

Today, it is considered a “mature forest” with large timber-sized trees.

Humphreys said DEEP works to create 10-to-20-year management plans, depending on the size of the forest, and this one is a 10-year plan.

“In this block 365 acres is acceptable and manageable, but over the 10-year plan about 190 acres is scheduled for some kind of management,” she said. “In this forest, because of the wildlife considerations we are planning cuts that will create … more habitat for New England Cottontail and other species that require that type of habitat.”

Humphreys pointed out an area that was previously cut nearby in 2018 that is “regenerating really nicely and has New England Cottontail.”

The area they are looking to do next is nearby and would allow them to expand the area for the New England Cottontail currently on-site.

She said that about 14 acres were previously managed by DEEP State Lands Forester Gerard “Jerry” Milne, who was present with them today.

“These tiny pockets that were totally cut is what we call ‘patch cuts,’ where you remove all the trees from the area, like a tiny clear-cut, with the purpose of establishing that regeneration. In those tiny pockets deep in the forest on high elevation areas there are also New England Cottontail there,” Humphreys said.

She went on to say how the type of cut they are doing in the area is called a “selection harvest.”

“It is a single tree and small group selection, which means individual trees will be removed if they are a lower quality or not going to make it over the next 20-year cycle,” Humphreys explained. “We will leave habitat trees and trees that produce hard mast to benefit wildlife, hemlock covers, and a diversity of species.”

She added, “Small groups will be selected to create openings where shade-intolerant species will have enough light to regenerate, and that young forest can start to grow.”

‘Understand Disturbance’

Peter Picone, DEEP wildlife biologist in the Habitat Program, shared that one of the challenges of wildlife habitat management is mimicking pre-colonial forestry conditions.

“Going back, in 1938, when that [Category 4] hurricane hit us, only 17% of the trees in Connecticut were saw timber,” he said.

The term “saw timber” is defined as a tree with a 12-inch or larger diameter.

“What is important is that every 100 years, you get a category 4 hurricane … the reason I am sharing this with you is because it is important to understand disturbance,” Picone said.

He brought up that in 1810 most of Connecticut was fields, but when the industrial revolution hit, farmland was abandoned. As a result, trees grew on the land at an even age.

“All the species that need a young forest, like the cottontails … they have declined rapidly,” Picone said.

Since habitats reflect the populations of wildlife, they are seeking to diversify the habitat to try to help declining animal populations.

“If you create a young forest, you create the disturbance that would have happened through hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms historically. We are then mimicking the pre-colonial conditions. We are only doing it on a small piece of land compared to the entire state,” Picone said.

New England Cottontail

Tanner Steeves, DEEP wildlife biologist in the Habitat Program, then told attendees about the New England Cottontail.

“The New England Cottontail is our native rabbit. We also have the Eastern Cottontail. It’s native to the southern states and was introduced north mostly for hunting opportunities,” he said. “The New England Cottontail and the Eastern Cottontail look almost identical, which makes management a bit of a challenge.”

Across the northeast, both species are monitored by collecting pellets.

“When the [New England Cottontail] decline was realized in the 1980s or the 90s, efforts really began to take a look at why this decline was happening. There are two factors: one is competition directly with the Eastern Cottontail and the other is habitat loss,” Steeves said.

He mentioned that the area everyone was gathered in now for the tour is part of the Newtown/Oxford focus area for New England Cottontail and that there are 12 total focus areas in the state.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing a decline in a lot of our other focus areas throughout the state. This is one of our best focus areas in the state, so it is important to continue to provide that habitat and hopefully maintain the population for years to come,” Steeves said.

Residential Aspect

In the crowd was David Beers, who identified himself as a State Service Forester for Western Connecticut and part of the Private Municipal Land Management arm of the DEEP Forestry Department.

“We provide technical assistance and educational programs for towns and private individuals on different management options. Primarily, I see our job as opening up landowners’ eyes to the wonderful things that they have on their land, which a lot of people aren’t aware of,” Beers said.

He voiced that individuals, land trusts, and municipalities that have more than 10 acres of forest land can contact him for assistance. He can be reached at 860-424-3382 or by e-mailing david.beers@ct.gov.

Town Endorsement

Newtown Land Use Agency Deputy Director of Planning Rob Sibley was also in attendance and brought up that the town has worked “hand in hand” with DEEP for many years.

“I oversaw the project for the rabbitat over here about four or five years ago,” he said pointing nearby. “As you can see, it’s an extreme success what we have done.”

Sibley went on to say that the town endorses this selected harvest project for habitat diversity.

Walking Portion

Members of DEEP then led a guided walking tour of the lower Paugussett State Forest.

Humphreys and Milne pointed to trees with an orange horizontal line marked on them and explained how the line indicates that it is a saw timber tree.

“This management goes out to bid to loggers and forest product harvesters. It could be two or more years before it’s cut. We are trying to think long term,” Humphreys noted.

Similarly, some trees had an orange vertical line marked on them and it was explained that those trees will just be removed but not for timber. Those trees will likely be repurposed as firewood or to create a barrier in the area.

More information about CT State Forest management can be found at portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Forestry/Management-on-State-Lands/Forest-Management-on-State-Lands.

For those who could not attend the walk but have questions, e-mail jill.humphreys@ct.gov.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.