Forest Management

The forest management program has its primary emphasis on undergraduate education and extension. Major outreach programs focus on:

• Forest and wildlife stewardship
• Urban and community forestry
• Estate planning and family lands protection
• Municipal and watershed natural resources inventories and planning

A combined research/extension program focuses on landscape characterization and forest fragmentation.

FOREST RESOURCES IN CONNECTICUT

Connecticut 370 years after settlement is 60% forested. Almost 90% of that forest is privately owned by some 115,000 individuals, families and land trusts.

Our forests make major contributions to our economy and the quality of our lives. Annual production of over 70 million board feet of high quality timber provides the material for over 350 Connecticut industries that process wood. These industries contribute over $400 million annually to Connecticut's economy and export a wide variety of products around the globe. Our forests also provide the essential backdrop for Connecticut's $3.9 billion recreation/tourism industry, and produce and estimated 500,000 cords of firewood, 400,000 Christmas trees, 15,000 gallons of maple syrup and two million gallons of witch hazel astringent each year.

The Department of Natural Resources Management has for decades managed the 1500 acre UCONN FOREST. Primary management goals for the UCONN FOREST are:

• Sustaining the health and biodiversity of the forest
• Demonstrating forest management practices appropriate for private forest landowners, land trusts and municipal forests
• Creating an outdoor classroom where students and Cooperative Extension clientele can develop skills and gain practical experience in natural resource conservation.

Assistant Professor Mark Rudnicki