Juliana Barrett, Ph.D., Extension Educator Connecticut Sea Grant College Program

Through an award from the EPA Long Island Sound Study Futures Fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the University of Connecticut Sea Grant program is partnering with Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc. (ALC) to improve the resilience and quality of the Hoffman Preserve owned by Avalonia Land Conservancy, Inc. in Stonington, CT.

This almost 200-acre forest recently had several large patch cuts due to a large number of dead, dying, and damaged trees in 2019. We developed a coastal forest management plan for the patch cuts focused on resilience in the face of climate change based on climate projections from the present through 2050. Using US Forest Service Vulnerability Assessments for the Mid-Atlantic and New England, we determined appropriate tree and shrub species for planting in parts of the patch cuts, along with natural regeneration and supplemental seeding. 

Please complete the form below to RSVP; you will be emailed the zoom link.