Free Forest Management Workshop Being Offered

REDDING — Two Connecticut foresters will present a workshop on forest management planning at Highstead Arboretum on Saturday, June 17. The half-day program will include both lecture and discussion, and a visit to Warrup’s Farm.

Warrups’ Farm, on John Read Road in Redding, haS been awarded funding through the Connecticut Division of Forestry’s Forest Enhancement Program (FEP) to develop a forest management plan. FEP provides private landowners with partial funding for forest stewardship practices and forest management planning.

Although Connecticut is the fourth most densely populated state in the nation, 60 percent of it is forested. More than half of Connecticut’s woodlands are privately owned – leaving private landowners with a significant role in determining the health of the state’s forests. Whether a landowner decides to manage their forest for timber production, native species diversity or recreation, developing a plan can help achieve the desired results.

Workshop leaders are Larry Rousseau, a service forester with the Connecticut Division of Forestry, and Star Childs, a partner with EECOS.

Mr Rousseau, a native of Connecticut, has been employed by the Department of Environmental Protection for the last 28 years. His primary responsibility is to provide technical advice and guidance to private forest landowners and municipalities in the western third of Connecticut.

In addition to his work with Environmental and Ecological Consultants, Mr Childs also serves as the president of Great Mountain Forest Corporation, a private operating foundation that oversees the management and long-term research of forest ecology and environmental services on 6,400 acres of private forest land in Norfolk and Canaan.

The workshop will be held at the Highstead barn on Saturday, June 17 from 9 am to 1 pm. There is no charge for the workshop, but reservations are required. Call 203-938-8809 for reservations and additional information.