By: Larry Rousseau, NWCD Chairman and CT DEEP Forester

Connecticut, the 3rd smallest state in area (3.2 million acres) and the 4th most densely populated (739 people per square mile) state, is also the 13th most wooded state in the country. CT’s 3.2 million acres is covered by 1.8 million acres (58%) of woods. CT’s woodlands are middle to late age with 80% of the trees being 60 years or older. Approximately 80% of the trees are in the saw timber size class. This classification is based on the trees’ diameter exceeding 11 inches when measured at 4.5 feet from the ground. The predominant forest type is oak/hickory. Oaks dominate 70% of the States woodlands – northern red, black, white, scarlet, and chestnut oaks. There are also substantial amounts of red maple, sweet birch, white ash, sugar maple, hemlock, white pine, and beech present. In terms of total number of trees, red maple is the most common tree in CT.

You would be surprised that 73% (1.31 million acres) of CT’s woodlands are owned by approximately 3% of the State’s population (110,000 private individuals). When we look at the number of individuals that own 10 or more acres of woodlands that number shrinks to >1% percent (25,000) of the State’s population owning 71% (1.29 million acres) of CT’s woodlands. The average size of a private woodlot is 33 acres.
Some of the benefits all CT residents derive from abundant tree cover are clean air and water, local wood products, wildlife habitat, climate change mediation, seasonal temperature moderation near homes, and scenic amenities adding to quality of life.

To ensure that CT’s woodlands keep providing these and other benefits to society, private woodland owners need help and guidance in managing this valuable resource. This assistance comes from the State’s and Federal natural resource agencies, Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) Forestry and Wildlife divisions, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service (UConn Coop Ext), Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). DEEP Division of Forestry has dedicated two foresters (Service Foresters) to meet one-on-one with private woodland owners who are interested in learning more about their woods and how it can be better managed to meet their goals.

Since only 2 Service Foresters can’t possibly meet the demand of 25,000 potential customers, a program to train peer-to peer landowner counselors called COVERTS was developed in 1983 by UConn Coop Ext, and DEEP Forestry and Wildlife divisions. Covert is a word that describes a thicket providing sheltering cover for wildlife. The COVERTS Program is a 3-day training seminar for a select group of woodland owners, and environmentally engaged citizens. The curriculum consists of a series of lectures and field walks on topics such as the different types CT woodlands, the where, how and why trees grow, the different wildlife species associated with CT woodlands, and sources of professional help that are available to woodland owners. The instructors for the seminar are foresters, wildlife biologists and ecologists from DEEP, UConn Coop Ext, CAES, Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA), and other natural resource organizations. The seminar is held in September at the Yale University Forestry Camp in the Great Mountain Forest in Canaan, CT. CFPA is the major sponsor of the program and handles all the logistical arrangements. The cost to participants is $150 for meals, lodging, training and reference material. In exchange, participants agree to volunteer as COVERTS Program Cooperators, returning to their communities and sharing what they have learned with others. They become knowledgeable advocates for sound woodland management in CT.

Larry Rousseau is the Chairman of the Northwest Conservation District. He has been a Torrington resident for 37 years. He has been employed by the DEEP’s Division of Forestry as a forester since 1978. His present position is Service Forester for the Western half of the State. Larry has been an instructor at the COVERTS Program for the last 25 years.