By Emery Gluck, Forester, DEEP.
Two timber harvests starting – Sale E-1044 is starting in Clinton (see map near end of email) but will continue into adjacent Killingworth and nearby Westbrook and Deep River. No harvesting will occur on this sale from May 15 to August 15 because of tree roosting bats of state special concern.
Some trails and paths may be signed closed during part of the harvest.
Sale E-1070 is in Chester and Deep River (see map at end of email).
Peter Marlowe Forest Products of North Guilford was high bidder both sales.
A main goal of the forest management in Cockaponset State Forest is to promote biological diversity. Efforts are concentrated on under-represented upland ecosystems and plant populations that are not adequately sustaining themselves under current natural conditions. Many trees species such as gray birch, white birch, aspen, red cedar and pitch pine that once were relatively abundant are now scarce as they are short-lived and/or being shaded out.
Much of the management focuses on sustaining oak (keystone species) and pitch pine, which are slowly dying out. The former is unable to develop viable new generations in moderately dense shade while the latter can only tolerate minimal shade.
As the map below indicates, forests in our area have become very dense mainly due to the absence of fire.
The more open forest in Sale E-1044 and part of Sale E-1070 will likely improve insect foraging for bats and provide habitat for some to many of the birds in the table below that can be found at:
https://ct.audubon.org/guide-to-managing-forests-in-ct
The rest of sale E-1070 will promote pitch pine, oak, and likely many species of Greatest Conservation Need that utilize young forest habitat (Slide courtesy of Wildlife Division)
Hope everyone can safely enjoy the forest.
Thank you for your interest in Cockaponset State Forest.
Emery
Emery Gluck
Forester
Cockaponset State Forest
Division of Forestry
Bureau of Natural Resources
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
18 Ranger, Haddam, CT 06438
