Press Releases
06/18/2021
USDA Forest Service Approves Connecticut’s 2020 Forest Action Plan
10-Year Strategic Document Will Guide State’s Forest Management Actions Over Next Decade
(HARTFORD)—The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently received official approval from the USDA Forest Service of Connecticut’s 2020 Forest Action Plan, a ten-year strategic document designed to guide policies, priorities, and actions to conserve Connecticut’s forest resources across multiple landscapes from urban and suburban, to rural.
Approval of Connecticut’s Forest Action Plan is the result of a two-year collaborative effort with many partners and stakeholders. The Connecticut Forest Action Plan analyzes current conditions and trends of Connecticut’s trees and forests and provides strategies and action steps to best plan for the future of the forested landscape. The Action Plan takes into consideration goals and strategies of Connecticut’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, Wildlife Action Plan, Green Plan and is complimentary to Governors Council on Climate Change (GC3) recommendations.
Required under the US Farm Bill, all US states and territories are obligated to have a forest action plan to receive federal aid through USDA Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry programs which support private woodland owner stewardship, urban and community forestry, and assistance to rural fire departments. Having a robust Forest Action Plan also allows Connecticut’s forest conservation partners to compete regionally for additional grants designed to address priorities and implement strategies identified within the Action Plan.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work, research and input by the staff of DEEP’s Forestry Division, as well as many partners and stakeholders, and members of the public,” DEEP Forestry Division Director Chris Martin said. “We appreciate the USDA Forest Service’s acceptance of Connecticut’s 2020 Forest Action Plan, and look forward to utilizing it as our guiding document for managing the state’s forests over the next decade.”
Forest Action Plans assess the condition of trees and forests, regardless of ownership, and develop strategies to: conserve working forest landscapes, protect forests from harm, and enhance public benefits from trees and forests. They offer practical and comprehensive roadmaps for investing federal, state, local, and private resources where they can be most effective in achieving state and national forest conservation goals. For more information on Connecticut’s Forest Action Plan go to: CT Forest Action Plan.
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