Wildlife Habitat Management on Private Land
The DEEP Wildlife Division is a partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Wildlife Management Institute in the Young Forest Initiative for At-Risk Species. This regional conservation partnership includes Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. A key goal of the partnership is to increase the quantity and quality of young forest and shrubland habitat essential to New England cottontail rabbits, American woodcock, and more than 50 species of greatest conservation need in Connecticut that rely on this habitat. Private landowners are critical to the success of this goal, as over 90 percent of Connecticut's land mass and 70 percent of its forest land are held in private ownership.
For private landowners interested in implementing habitat management projects to create or sustain young forest or shrubland habitat for wildlife, NRCS can provide technical and financial assistance to those wishing to conduct practices outlined in the USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Participating landowners may receive financial support to implement management practices, including forest and wildlife habitat planning, brush mowing, non-native invasive plant control, prescribed burning, tree/shrub plantings, early successional forest habitat management, and creation of brush piles.
Applications for cost-sharing of management practices are received by the NRCS year-round. Interested landowners are encouraged to contact an NRCS conservation planner through their local field office. DEEP Wildlife Division staff members are also available to assess potential projects, provide technical advice, and identify additional funding opportunities for suitable projects. Those interested should contact Wildlife Division Biologist Tanner Steeves at 860-295-9523 or tanner.steeves@ct.gov.
Focus areas have been established based on species occurrence and landscape factors that deem certain specific geographic areas are most likely to result in positive responses to management treatments for these target wildlife species.
Additional Resources for Private Landowners
- Best Management Practices -- New England Cottontails
- A Landowner's Guide to New England Cottontail Management
- Managing Grasslands, Shrublands, and Young Forest Habitats for Wildlife: A Guide for the Northeast
- Protecting Forests, Storing Carbon, and Helping Wildlife
- Benefits of Clearcuts Brochure
Content last updated in February 2024.