From Conversation to Conservation

Transcription

1 6 TH ANNUAL CONNECTICUT FOREST CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH FORUM COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SYSTEM College of Agriculture and Natural Resources SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTERS 1900 November 23, 2010 UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT GREATER HARTFORD CAMPUS From Conversation to Conservation

2 Forum Sponsors Connecticut Forest & Park Association lead sponsor and organizer Salmon Brook Associates CT DEP Division of Forestry Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Department of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Connecticut Department of Extension, University of Connecticut Hull Forest Products Highstead Fink Foundation Audubon Connecticut The Norcross Wildlife Foundation The Great Mountain Forest/ EECOS CT Tree Farm Committee CT Chapter, Society of American Foresters Connecticut Urban Forest Council Forum Co-Sponsors CT Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects CT Chapter, American Planning Association 1 Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality From Conversation to Conservation Every so often there comes a moment of great opportunity: a time when many eyes are focused on the same issue, and important, positive action becomes a real possibility. For Connecticut s forest resources, 2010 may be such a moment. Over the past year, a remarkable array of organizations and people have published different vision statements, plans and strategies concerning our forests. They range from the New England Governors to our State Forestry Agency to a group of leading academics from across New England. Each of these reports is still hot off the press and ripe for implementation. At the same time, a coalition of statewide groups led by the Connecticut Forest & Park Association held a series of local forest roundtables, leading to a statewide Forest Roundtable in March that produced ten important visions of Connecticut s forest future (see box on next page). The sixth annual Connecticut Forest Forum will focus on two goals: learning about these important visions and plans, and working together to mold them into an action plan that works for Connecticut. We are moving From Conversation to Conservation. The day begins with presentations on three of these visions for our future: Wildlands and Woodlands: A Vision for the New England Landscape, developed by a coalition of leading natural resource academics from around New England; A Connecticut Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy, developed by the Connecticut Division of Forestry with support from many state-wide organizations; Keeping Forests as Forest, an initiative built on a Blue Ribbon Panel report of the New England Governors Conference. continued on next page 1 APA members can receive CEUs for the Forest Forum as self-reported credits.

3 A presentation and discussions on the common themes and key points of each follows. At lunchtime, we ll break into groups to further this discussion and begin to zero in on emerging big ideas that can lead to achieving what we like best about these visions. Since funding always plays a role, we ll pause after lunch to learn about Innovative Funding Mechanisms for Forest Conservation from two of the best in this field. Then, with help from a professional facilitator, we ll end the program by identifying a set of priority action items and next steps to implement them. At day s end, please join us for an informal reception to celebrate this important moment and its promise for a more secure forest future in Connecticut. WELCOME 10 Visions for Connecticut s Forest Future In the future, 1. The fact that all forests provide important public benefits will guide all of Connecticut s forest and land use policies. 2. Connecticut will increase the amount of forest protected from development following priority criteria based on core forest areas, forest legacy potential, and vulnerability. 3. Connecticut s forests will contain healthy and sustainable populations of native plants and animals. 4. Public agencies will manage Connecticut s public forestlands to enhance public benefits. 5. Policies will fully support and encourage private forest owners that have environmentally, socially, and economically balanced stewardship goals. 6. The people of Connecticut will understand and value the urban forests as essential parts of healthy urban ecosystems. 7. Connecticut s forests will support a broad spectrum of appropriate recreational activities that attract users to Connecticut s forests. 8. Connecticut will use its forests to stimulate learning about nature and ecology and to demonstrate various sustainable forest management strategies. 9. Connecticut s forests will support a viable forest products industry that provides marketable products from renewable and diverse forest resources. 10. Management of Connecticut s forests will use the best available scientific information and the best available data as the basis for sound conservation and management decisions.

4 Morning Afternoon FORUM AGENDA 8:00 8:50 am Registration, coffee & muffins 8:50 9:00 Welcome 9:00 11:00 General Session Moderator: Steve Broderick 12:00 1:45 pm Small groups working lunch: facilitated discussions on key ideas for moving common themes to action in Connecticut. 1:45 2:15 Break return to Auditorium 9:00 9:30 Wildlands & Woodlands A Vision for the New England Landscape. David Foster 9:30 10:00 Connecticut s Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy Helene Hochholzer 10:00 10:30 New England Governors Northeast Initiative Keeping Forests as Forest Alec Giffen 10:30 11:00 Break 11:00 11:20 From Conversation to Conservation, Part I: Common Themes that can lead to effective action. Tom Worthley 11:20 12:00 Discussion, questions and answers 2:15 3:05 Innovative Funding Mechanisms for Forest Conservation Jim Levitt & Brad Gentry 3:05-4:30 From Conversation to Conservation, Part II: A professionally facilitated discussion to bring our ideas together and formulate an action plan for forest resource conservation in Connecticut. Bill Logue 4:30 6:30 Reception and Celebration! Several posters will be presented by sponsoring organizations and committees of the Connecticut Forestland Council.

5 About the speakers David Foster, Director, About Harvard the Forest, speakers is a graduate of Connecticut College. David earned his Ph.D. at Minnesota. He is Professor of Ecology at Harvard University and has been Director of the Harvard Forest since He has been the leader of the Wildlands and Woodlands movement, first for Massachusetts and then for all of New England. Thomas Worthley is Assistant Extension Professor, University of Connecticut. Tom s statewide responsibilities include forest stewardship, sustainable forest management, and silviculture on non-industrial private forestland. Tom worked in the forest products industry prior to joining UConn. He holds B.S. and M.S Forestry degrees from the University of Maine. SPEAKERS Helene Hochholzer, Connecticut DEP s Forest Planner, authored the Connecticut Statewide Forest Resource Plan , and she led the recent Connecticut Forest Assessment team. She earned her BS in forestry at Virginia Tech and holds a master s degree from Rensselaer. Alec Giffen is Director of the Maine Forest Service with over 35 years of experience in natural resource administration. As a private consultant, he worked with private and public parties to resolve environmental disputes. Alec s master s degree is from California in forest ecology and his BS degree in Forest Science is from Maine. Steve Broderick is CFPA s Forester and Program Director at the Goodwin Forest Conservation Education Center in Hampton. He came to CFPA after a 30-year career as Extension Forester with the University of Connecticut. Steve earned his BS in forestry at the University of Massachusetts and master s from Virginia Tech. William Logue is a West Hartford-based mediator and facilitator. He has facilitated many complex environmental matters including forest management, national estuary programs and nuclear waste cleanup. Bill is adjunct faculty at Quinnipiac University School of Law and a trainer for the Connecticut Land Use Leadership Alliance, a program for local land use leaders. He is a graduate of Brown University and the UConn Law School. James Levitt is the director of the Program on Conservation Innovation at the Harvard Forest and is a fellow with the Harvard Kennedy School. Jim is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Management. He edited two books on conservation finance: From Walden to Wall Street (2005), and Conservation Capital in the Americas (2010). Bradford Gentry is Lecturer, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Brad serves as Co-Director of the Center for Business & the Environment at Yale and Director of the Research Program on Private Investment and the Environment.

6 The Registration fee is $35.00 ($25 for students). Parking and lunch are included. Car pooling is encouraged! Space is limited Registration by November 18, 2008 is recommended; walk-in registrations may not be available. Make check payable to: CFPA with memo Forest Forum Send registration to: CT Forest Forum C/o Ms. Terri Peters Connecticut Forest and Park Association 16 Meriden Road Rockfall, CT Directions to the University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus West Hartford Extension Center Library Building, 1800 Asylum Ave, W. Hartford, CT 44 West Hartford Extension Center Library Building, 1800 Asylum Ave Park Rd. Quaker Ln. ma ve. Trout Brook Dr. N. Main St. Visitors Parking Asy lu S. Main St. REGISTRATION/DIRECTIONS Registration North 1 mile Take I-84 east or west to Exit 43, Park road. Turn right onto Park Road and immediately left onto Trout Brook Drive. Beyond the intersection of Trout Brook Drive and Asylum Avenue, on the right, are visitor s parking lots. Campus is on the left.

7 2010 Connecticut Forest Conservation & Research Forum: From Conversation to Conservation November 23, 2010 Name: Phone number: ( ) REGISTRATION FORM Organization: Mailing address: Town: State: ZIP: 2 CEUs awarded at end of Forum if Connecticut Certified Forests Practitioner: Yes No

8 Connecticut Forest and Park Association, Inc. 16 Meriden Road Rockfall, CT 06481