The District has been engaged in a forest management program since 1940s, when professional
foresters were first hired to direct forestry operations. Activities are currently
guided by a comprehensive watershed forest management plan. The plan uses an ecosystem
approach to management and provides information about watershed geology, soils,
wildlife, biodiversity, cultural features, as well as the overall extent and condition
of the timber resources. It establishes priorities and guidelines for protecting
water quality through activities including: timber harvesting, wildlife
management, gravel access road maintenance, controlling disease, insects
and non-native invasive species.
Forest management and timber harvesting activities promote the growth and regeneration
of a healthy, diverse forest with a variety of tree species, sizes and age classes,
and one that is more resilient to disturbance. This reduces the risk that a single
catastrophic event such as a hurricane, fire or pest infestation will destroy the
entire forest and degrade soils and water quality.
All harvesting operations are carefully planned and supervised by state-certified
District foresters to assure strict adherence to contractual stipulations, the Connecticut
Forest Practices Act, and municipal inland wetlands and watercourses regulations.
Soil erosion and sediment control practices to protect water quality are strictly
enforced.
The timber harvested from MDC forest lands is used for producing important consumer
products: high quality hardwoods (deciduous trees) for fine furniture, flooring,
and veneer; lower quality hardwoods for pallets, crates and boxes, and fuelwood;
and softwoods (pine, hemlock and larch) for building materials for homes, barns,
bridges and furniture.
Wildlife Management
The District's forest lands, combined with adjacent state-owned parcels, represent
some of the largest protected, unfragmented tracts of land in Southern New England
and serve as important habitat for a variety of flora and fauna in the region. These
areas provide corridors for wildlife migration, as evidenced by the growing black
bear and moose populations. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Wildlife Division is conducting long-term studies of bear and moose populations
on some of these lands in cooperation with the District.
Through its watershed forest management program, the District strives to promote
a diversity of forest cover types, ages, structures and other conditions which help
create essential habitat for an array of wildlife species. Strategies for improving
wildlife habitat include:
Protect unique natural features of the landscape, and threatened and endangered
species
Promote healthy stands of evergreen trees for cover and nesting sites
Release trees that produce food for wildlife (mast), cover and nesting cavities
Create early successional habitat (patch cuts) favored by many species of birds
Maintain existing herbaceous openings through periodic mowing
Leave slash and brush piles from harvesting operations on-site to benefit wildlife
Protect wetland and riparian areas for cover, nesting and travel corridors
Protect vernal pools, a unique type of wetland relied upon by many amphibians and
macroinvertebrates for breeding and early development
Maintain artificial nesting structures such as bluebird boxes
Annually stock trout at designated MDC
reservoirs and the Farmington River
A testament to the health of the MDC's watershed lands is the fact that the first
successful nesting of the American Bald Eagle
in Connecticut in over 40 years occurred at the Barkhamsted Reservoir. MDC works
closely with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the
Bald Eagle Study Group to monitor the growing eagle population.
For information on Connecticut wildlife visit: The Connecticut DEP website: www.ct.gov/dep
Forest Health
Disease, insects, fire, wind, drought and air pollution are major disturbances that
have the ability to drastically change the structure of forest ecosystems. A healthy
forest is one that is resilient to change. Many of the disturbances that occur in
the forest are normal and the forest is adapted to accommodate the change. Forests
become stressed when their defenses are weakened, for example by drought or acid
deposition. In a weakened state they become more susceptible and less resilient
to disease and insect attacks. An effective strategy for reducing the impact of
large disturbances and preventing sediment loading in reservoirs is to diversify
forest types, structures and age classes through active management.
In our increasingly mobile society, the introduction of non-native invasive species
is a constant and growing threat. Many invasive species are superior competitors,
have fewer predators, form monoculture stands, and spread disease all at the expense
of native species. Native species have not evolved alongside the invaders and lack
appropriate defenses. Invasive species may be one of the most insidious threats
to the health of watershed forests. Management options for controlling invasive
species are limited. Prevention of introduction is the best defense.
Several major pests and pathogens have already altered the composition of the forest,
such as chestnut blight and red pine scale, which essentially lead to the demise
of these once commercially important species. The hemlock woolly adelgid is currently
threatening the existence of hemlock in some areas. It is impossible to know when
potential threats will reach an area, but early detection will help to control the
spread of an outbreak.
It is the responsibility of forest managers to be keenly aware of pests, pathogens
and other threats to the forest and to assess the situation and develop management
alternatives. This vigilance is enhanced by supporting scientific research on the
property, such as studies being conducted by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station (www.ct.gov/caes) on
emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid and the pine shoot borer.
Climate change is another factor likely to influence forest development in the future.
Warmer temperatures may alter the growing season and the natural ranges of certain
species. While some plants may benefit from longer growing seasons, others may not
be able to compete and may disappear from the landscape. Changes in temperature
may also alter the moisture regime of the region, causing prolonged periods of drought
or more erratic weather patterns, which may adversely affect certain species. Recent
studies have found that increased levels of carbon dioxide may provide a real boost
for vines that are able to take advantage of high levels of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and channel that into leaf growth. As vines reach for the canopy they
smother host trees causing the dynamics of the forest to change.
