CONNECTICUT Woodlands MAGAZINE

CHANGING THE CAR LIFESTYLE DEAD TREES GIVE OFF METHANE. MANAGING FORESTS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE.

The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association SUMMER 2017 Volume 82 No. 2

The Connecticut Forest & Park Association, Inc.

OFFICERS PRESIDENT, ERIC LUKINGBEAL, Granby VICE-PRESIDENT, STARR SAYRES, East Haddam TREASURER, JAMES W. DOMBRAUSKAS, New Hartford SECRETARY, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford FORESTER, THOMAS J. DEGNAN, East Haddam

DIRECTORS PAUL BALAVENDER, Canton STARLING W. CHILDS, Norfolk KRISTEN CONNELL, Killingworth R. RICHARD CROCE, Killingworth RUTH CUTLER, Ashford CAROLINE DRISCOLL, New London FRED JOHNSON, Coventry PETER KNIGHT, Bloomfield MICHAEL LECOURS, Farmington SCOTT LIVINGSTON, Bolton PAUL EDWARDS JEFF LOUREIRO, Canton ANTONIO MAZZARA, Stamford Diane Friend Edwards stops at the overlook on the Henry Buck Trail. See page 22. JEFFREY O’DONNELL, Bristol DAVID PLATT, Chester RAYMOND RADIKAS, Glastonbury

HONORARY DIRECTORS Connecting People to the Land Annual Membership

GORDON L. ANDERSON, St. Johns, FL Our mission: The Connecticut Forest & Park Individual $ 35 HARROL W. BAKER, JR., Bolton Association protects forests, parks, walking GEORGE M. CAMP, Middletown Family $ 50 ANN CUDDY, Ashland, OR trails and open spaces for future generations by SAMUEL G. DODD, North Andover, MA connecting people to the land. CFPA directly Supporting $ 100 ASTRID T. HANZALEK, Suffield involves individuals and families, educators, Benefactor $ 250 JOHN HIBBARD, Hebron community leaders and volunteers to enhance JOSEPH HICKEY, Wethersfield Patron $ 500 JEAN CRUM JONES, Shelton and defend Connecticut’s rich natural heritage. EDWARD A. RICHARDSON, Glastonbury CFPA is a private, non-profit organization that Guardian $ 1000 L.P. SPERRY, JR., Middlebury relies on members and supporters to carry out SALLY L. TAYLOR, Mystic its mission. SIDNEY VAN ZANDT, Noank Life Membership $ 2500 Our vision: We envision Connecticut as a STAFF place of scenic beauty whose cities, suburbs, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, GOODWIN FOREST CENTER, and villages are linked by a network of parks, BETH BERNARD, Woodstock Corporate Membership forests, and trails easily accessible for all people TRAILS STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR, CLARE CAIN, Old Lyme to challenge the body and refresh the spirit. We Club / Non-profit $ 75 FIELD COORDINATOR,TRAILS PROGRAM, picture a state where clean water, timber, farm COLIN CARROLL, New Haven Sustaining $ 100 MANAGER OF EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT, fresh foods, and other products of the land make ELIZABETH FOSSETT, Meriden a significant contribution to our economic and Landmark $ 250 MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING DIRECTOR, cultural well-being. MARTY GOSSELIN, Durham Stewardship $ 500 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford Leadership $ 1000 EDUCATION DIRECTOR, EMMA KRAVET, New Haven Connecticut Woodlands DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, JAMES W. LITTLE, Hebron DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, KARA MURPHY, Guilford Published quarterly by the LAND CONSERVATION DIRECTOR, Connecticut Forest & Park Association, LINDSAY SUHR, North Haven 16 Meriden Road, OFFICE MANAGER, TERESA PETERS, Durham Rockfall, CT 06481-2961 EDITOR, CHRISTINE WOODSIDE Indexed in the Connecticut Periodical Index, BOOK REVIEW EDITOR, DAVID K. LEFF COPYEDITOR, ROBIN GOLD ISSN 00106257 GRAPHIC DESIGNER, KAREN WARD Telephone: 860-346-TREE Fax: 860-347-7463. Printed on FSC Certified Paper E-mail address: [email protected] from responsible sources Web site: ctwoodlands.org

2 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 CONNECTICUT Woodlands

The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association SUMMER 2017 Volume 82 No. 2

CONTENTS FEATURES DEPARTMENTS

CAN CONNECTICUT REDUCE 4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. GREENHOUSE GASES? Bringing back the American chestnut. By Eric Lukingbeal. 6 CHANGING THE CAR LIFESTYLE. Meet an electric-car owner and 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE. bicycle commuters who are The importance of silence. leading the way. By Eric Hammerling. By Christine Woodside. 12 NEW ENGLAND TRAIL 8 “CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.” POET-IN-RESIDENCE PROJECT. Wesleyan professor who serves David K. Leff continues his project on international climate panel highlighting nature poetry by other says we must face our moral Connecticut poets. This issue: poems imperative to address its greatly by John Stanizzi. evident impacts. By Gary Yohe. 13-16 CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY. P “The Harvest of a Coming Age”: 9 DEAD WOOD GIVES OFF Remembering James L. Goodwin and his On the Cover: SIGNIFICANT METHANE, preserved land in Chaplin and Hampton. By Jean Wierzbinski. Early-morning selfie of a A POWERFUL GREENHOUSE GAS. Scientists are trying to figure out bicycle commuter’s shadow. 17 ALMANAC. See page 6. this under-studied source. By Christine Woodside. Summer’s sculptors and sippers. PHOTO BY SCOTT LIVINGSTON By Katherine Hauswirth. 10 IS GOOD FOREST MANAGEMENT THE ANSWER TO CLIMATE CHANGE? 18 ON THE TRAILS. Probably not all by itself, but it “Where shall we walk today?” A brief reduces carbon buildup in the at- history of the Connecticut Walk Book. mosphere, recent research finds. By Christine Woodside. By Thomas J. Degnan. 20 FROM THE LAND. Thinking about nut trees. By Jean Crum Jones.

21 OBITUARIES

Richard A. Bauerfeld and Ned Zaglio.

22 TRY THIS HIKE. Henry Buck Trail: A rugged, but short and very pretty, hike in American Legion State Forest. By Diane Friend Edwards.

23 BOOK REVIEWS. Traprock, tree communication, and classics.

25 FORESTER’S NOTES. Be a good witness. By Jerry Milne.

26 ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE. Why honeybees are suffering and what beekeepers are doing about it. By Bud Gavitt.

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Bringing back the American chestnut

BY ERIC LUKINGBEAL better news. Scientists at the State Univer- sity of New York’s College of Environmen- or several centuries tal Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, before 1895,when Drs. William Powell and Charles Maynard, the Connecticut have engineered a chestnut with full blight FForest & Park Asso- resistance. How was it done? ciation was founded, According to SUNY’s ESF (see http:// the biggest, most dom- inside.esf.edu/category/esf-science-mat- inant, and most useful ters/) a single gene from wheat was added to trees in Connecticut the 38,000 genes of the American chestnut. were American chest- Want one? I do, but we will all have to nuts (Castanea dentata). wait. The scientists are seeking regulatory They grew to 100 feet and had trunk diam- approval from the federal authorities before eters of up to 14 feet. Chestnut wood was distributing the trees to the public. Several used for houses and barns (like mine, built CFPA agencies must review to ensure that the tree American Chestnut. before the Civil War). The wood was strong, will not harm the environment or human or light, resisted rot, and did not warp or check. animal health. ESF estimates this approval As most of us know, the chestnut blight of Chestnut Studies Began in 1930 process will take two to four years. If the the early 20th century devastated the chest- The country’s oldest ongoing chest- tree is approved, it will mark the first time nut population in the Northeast. An air- nut breeding effort is based in Connecti- that a plant functionally extinct is reintro- borne fungal infection killed about 4 billion cut. Beginning about 1930, woodlot own- duced to the wild. trees. The disease was introduced in 1904 ers and nut growers encouraged the Con- Right now, there are 100 of these trans- by accident, on nursery stock imported from necticut Agricultural Experiment Station in genic (some would say genetically modi- Japan. It was first found and identified at New Haven to work on breeding resistant fied) trees being grown in a two-acre plot the Bronx Zoo in 1905. As an exotic inva- trees for both nut and timber production. in upstate New York. When they are able sive, it had no natural enemies and quickly In the 1970s, a hypovirulent strain of the to produce pollen, that pollen will be used spread. By about 1940, the great majority blight fungus was discovered in Italy, and to fertilize flowers from trees in the wild. of American chestnuts were gone. imported to CAES, which in its research Because the wild surviving “mother trees” A few isolated trees survived in small has shown that some trees can survive con- are crossed with the transgenic blight-resis- groves in California, Michigan, Wisconsin, tact with the hypovirulent strain. Dr. Sandra tant trees, half of the offspring will be fully and Georgia, but these were exception- Anagnostakis ran the CAES breeding pro- blight-resistant. Though it will take more ally lucky. gram from 1973 until her recent retirement. time to do the crossing with wild trees, more genetic diversity will result, and the species The American chestnut root system, how- Some of the Connecticut work was done in should be hardier. Several transgenic trees ever, was quite large and robust. These old an orchard in Griswold, where she supervised have been planted in the New York Botani- stumps still send up shoots a century later. the planting of 800 trees. Of those trees, Dr. cal Garden for the public to observe. Some reach heights of 20 to 25 feet, and Anagnostakis said, perhaps 40 will be saved The ESF scientists have even devised a even produce seeds. This April, when hiking for further crossing with each other, with a field test that can identify the nuts with the with several friends on Granby Land Trust goal of producing seeds that might produce blight-resistant gene. The test takes only property, we spied a small clump of American timber or nut trees. four hours. The long-term goal is to secure chestnuts, a few spiny nut cases still hanging The seeds to these trees are available to the funding for “century study.” This would from a branch. One tree, about 3 inches in public because, as Dr. Anagnostakis points result in two 120-acre sites to run compari- diameter, did not look very healthy. Its bark out, the public paid for them to be devel- son studies of wild, transgenic, backcrossed, was a dark orange in places, and gooey “sap” oped. Call CAES at 203-974-8500. and hybrid American chestnuts. was oozing from a large canker. Connecti- The ESF scientists have been working on cut College Arboretum in New London has Blight-Resistant Chestnuts in NY this project for more than 20 years. Perhaps a similar specimen, which it labels as Ameri- Many of us have read about the efforts to we or our descendants might someday taste can chestnut infected with blight. It’s worth produce resistant chestnuts by hybridizing the roasted American chestnut again. a visit and a look at the tree, which will likely American chestnut material with Chinese or succumb before much longer, as will the one Japanese chestnuts. These efforts have not Eric Lukingbeal, a retired environmental law- we saw in Granby. been entirely successful. But now, there is yer, lives in Granby with his wife, Sally King.

4 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE The importance of silence

BY ERIC HAMMERLING Indeed, too much noise has become a global problem. A World Health Orga- e live in a world nization report in 2011 called noise pol- of 24-hour/ lution a “modern plague” and noted that day television “overwhelming evidence that exposure to W and radio news environmental noise has adverse effects on and entertainment, the the health of the population.” Specifically, internet, email, texting, WHO cited increased risks of hypertension and an endless flow of and heart disease, sleep disturbance prob- information. I perform lems, cognitive impairment in children, a some daily triage to heightened state of agitation, and tinnitus, deal with the constant which itself often leads to “anxiety, psycho- barrage of noise and data coming at me, and logical distress, depression, communica- then when I go for a walk in the woods, I tion problems, irritability, inability to work, can feel my built-up work and life stresses reduced efficiency, and restricted participa- diminishing. Instinctively, I know that tak- ADOBE STOCK tion in social life.” ing some time to “get away from it all” is a Clearly, we live in a loud and distracting good thing. However, I am only beginning However, the quiet stillness you can find world where silence is increasingly difficult to learn how essential it is to find silence, when walking alone in nature can help re- true silence, to improve my health and to come by,―but the health benefits of silence charge your cognitive resources. are compelling. well-being. Silence can regenerate brain cells. A Of course, providing access to places Silence relieves stress, tension, and study on mice in the journal Brain, Structure, of solace for you is a big part of what the other health problems. A study in the and Function in 2013 documented that two Connecticut Forest & Park Association is all journal Heart in 2006 found that actual hours of silence daily led to the development about. The best Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails silence is more relaxing than listening to of new cells in the hippocampus, a key region of and protected lands enable the normal “relaxing” music, based on changes in blood the brain associated with learning, memory, and stresses of your job or life to melt away as pressure and blood circulation measured in emotion. These findings suggest to researchers the sounds of suburbia subside, and you may the brain. Various studies have also found that silence could be an important part of therapy have noticed new educational programs at that meditating in silence may reduce blood for conditions such as depression or Alzheimer’s. CFPA geared toward finding a “sit spot”— pressure, symptoms of irritable bowel syn- literally a place where you can be quiet, con- The next time you find yourself stressed out, drome, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. templative, and alone with your thoughts. worn down, or overloaded with information, Fighting to keep public lands from being Silence helps decision-making. The keep in mind that it may just be a walk in the given away is another way that we work to constant demands for attention in our lives woods and the sound of silence that you need. protect those special places that provide can lead to mental fatigue, which affects our Eric Hammerling lives in West Hartford with essential silence for all of us. ability to make decisions and solve problems. his family.

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Fall 2010 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS 15 CAN CONNECTICUT REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES?

CHANGING THE CAR LIFESTYLE Meet an electric-car owner and bicycle commuters who are leading the way

BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE of State Rex Tillerson, former head of Exxon Mobil, has said the country should remain he Connecticut Transportation Strat- in the agreement. Regardless of the presi- egy Board concluded a decade ago dent’s complaints and threats to reevaluate that if the state hopes to meet goals America’s participation, all of these facts just to reduce greenhouse gases and remind us that Americans have been living Tslow the effects of climate change, its resi- like royalty. dents must change the “transportation cul- Connecticut is starting to realize that its ture.” Mobile sources of air pollution—cars, love affair with the automobile must change trucks, buses, lawn mowers, equipment, and from the traditional gasoline-fired engine. We the like—contribute half of all human-gener- must enter a new phase. ated air pollution in the Northeast. In this article, we will meet an electric-car Without the burning of fossil fuels by ED McKEON owner and three Connecticut residents who human civilization, the planet’s atmosphere Stephen Devoto riding to work past a sign for commute without emitting greenhouse gases. would hold about 275 parts per million of car- his campaign for the city’s Planning and Zon- They have found a way to follow a regular rou- bon dioxide. Civilization started adding to the ing Commission. tine that combines getting to work with reduc- carbon dioxide accumulations in the 1700s, ing their impact on greenhouse gas emissions. burning wood, coal, and oil. The accelera- The bicycle riders also get a workout. a car. He drives it only 5,000 miles a year. tion of human-made CO2 emissions increased If it’s cold, he puts on his skiing outer- dramatically in the 20th century. Today, the Stephen Devoto wear. In snow, he skis to work. The only atmosphere contains about 400 parts per mil- Stephen Devoto rides his bicycle 4 miles time he’ll take his car is when plows are on lion of CO . Since the industrial age, earth has 2 door to door to Wesleyan University, where the road—in deference to a request by his warmed on average about 1.8 degrees Fahr- he is a biology professor. He has made this wife, Joyce Powzyk. Overall, the benefits of enheit (1 degree Celsius). Glaciers are melt- trip on city streets and past a bit of forest commuting without a car connect him to ing faster, droughts and extreme storms are his community. He’ll roll by neighbors on disrupting the food supply and human safety, since 1997. “It was a criterion for where their porches and wave. and oceans’ acidity has risen. Last fall, 197 we bought a house,” he says. “That was an absolute requirement. I gave myself an nations meeting in France drafted a common Jennifer Sharp goal to prevent the global average tempera- 8-mile radius. I’ve always biked to work and Jennifer Sharp is in her second year of ture from rising by more than 3.6 degrees F to school.” He grew up in California and bicycling year-round from her house at the (2 degrees C). Here in the Northeast, accord- recalls walking to fifth grade in Palo Alto and West Hartford–Hartford line to the Hart- ing to the Intergovernmental Panel on Cli- biking to high school in Livermore. ford Public Library, where she is a librarian. mate Change’s regional assessment, “If emis- Dr. Devoto has traveled by bicycle in New She lives about 3 miles from work now, but sions continue to increase, warming of 4.5 York City; in Durham, North Carolina; and she used to live a bit farther from work and degrees F to 10 degrees F is projected by in Eugene, Oregon. “My parents commuted the 2080s; if global emissions were reduced or shopped by bicycle. They were a little old would bicycle about once a week in good substantially, projected warming ranges to be hippies, but they were kind of caught weather. Last year, she challenged herself from about 3 degrees F to 6 degrees F by up in that pre-Earth Day environmentalism.” the 2080s.” At both extremes, we can expect If he adds the time it would take for him more and longer heat waves in the summer, to walk down the driveway, get in the car, the report said. A coauthor of the regional drive to Wesleyan, park, and walk to his assessment is Wesleyan University econom- office, he believes that whole process would ics professor Gary Yohe, an expert on climate save him maybe five minutes over the 15 he assessment. Dr. Yohe’s call to action about cli- needs to get there by bicycle. mate science appears on page 8. “I also go downtown a lot. To do the one The United States and 143 other countries mile or half mile downtown—it’s so much signed the Paris Agreement. President Don- faster on a bike. Overall, I think it’s just as fast, ald Trump has said he thinks the agreement and then of course it’s healthy and it saves an COURTESY OF JENNIFER SHARP is unfair to the United States, but Secretary enormous amount of money.” He does own Jennifer Sharp pauses on the way to work.

6 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 to commute by bike every day for a year. from my home to work, but that means it’s “I didn’t actually start out thinking I was slightly uphill in the opposite direction.” He going to do that,” she said. ”On February likes taking the Hop River State Park Trail, 24, 2016, I rode that day and just kept rid- a cinder-dirt route near his house. He also ing and riding and riding, through the rain, likes the paths on the East Coast Greenway, which we didn’t have much of last year. At including Charter Oak bike paths that paral- some point during the fall I realized how lel I-84 and I-384. He also likes the Hock- close I was to hitting the year mark, so I anum River trails in East Hartford and the became very determined to do that. I did roads and paths of Wickham Park. ride after the February blizzard—on the He’s found that if he needs his car at work, sidewalk and taking the Fast Track [car- he can take a bicycle and ride that home, pool lane]. The roads were really in terrible leaving the car. Then bicycle back to the car shape. I was going between the roads and the next day. “This gives me the flexibility of the sidewalk.” having a car at work and helps on days when my schedule doesn’t permit me to commute Ms. Sharp has found that riding her bicy- COURTESY OF JEFF MURPHY cle takes her no longer than if she drove. “I both directions,” he says. Jeff Murphy charges his electric car at Wes- don’t have to get my car in the parking lot at The uphill ride home doesn’t seem to leyan University’s Freeman Athletic Center. work and walk back to the building from the bother Mr. Livingston, an enthusiastic parking lot. I feel better when I get to work. mountain biker, trail runner, and member Free charging sounded a lot cheaper than the It’s built-in exercise for the day.” of the Connecticut Forest & Park Associ- $150 in gas he had been spending just for ation Board of Directors. “When time per- the daily commute. Even charging it at home mits, I’ll take the long way home,” he says. overnight, which takes about 10 hours, does He uses a headlight and taillight even dur- not raise the electric bill much. In 15,000 ing the daylight and wears reflective cloth- miles, he calculates he’s spent $27 on elec- ing, including a vest and ankle bands. “My tricity to charge it. Of course, one incentive ‘cross’ or ‘hybrid’ bicycles are ideal for riding was rebates available through the state gov- on smooth trails, and there is no speed penalty ernment, and whether those will continue when riding those bikes on roads,” he says. after the current round can’t be predicted. “I’m often asked if I wash up at work. I do Until electric cars with longer ranges come have access to a shower, and if it is a week- out, owning an electric car means it is the day, I take advantage of the opportunity to local transportation, Mr. Murphy notes. His clean up. Even if I didn’t have a shower, it 2015 Volkswagen E-Golf (which he is leasing wouldn’t deter me from riding.” for $250 a month on the theory that tech- nology will improve before he would be able Jeff Murphy to pay off such a vehicle) can run 95 to 100 The business manager of Wesleyan Uni- miles on a charge, but fewer miles in cold versity is an environmentalist at heart, he weather because his car uses lithium ion bat- says. Jeff Murphy looked at how much trans- teries that cold will deplete. portation contributes to America’s carbon “You have to do a little bit of planning,” SCOTT LIVINGSTON footprint and was looking for a way to do he says. If he takes his family somewhere, he Two-wheel travel allows for a break on the something that would match his beliefs. “I’m needs to know there’s a charging station. Phoenix Gateway Bridge in downtown happy to put my money where my mouth is, They took a day trip about 33 miles to New Hartford. but I don’t have a ton of money,” he says. London recently, charged the car while they “If it doesn’t make economic sense. . . .” walked around, and then drove home with Scott Livingston Two years ago, the Murphy family real- no problems. Scott Livingston varies the distances he ized they didn’t need two full-sized sedans Perhaps the greatest challenge is sharing the rides his bicycle from his house in Bolton to for commuting about a half-hour’s drive charging station at work. Mr. Murphy thinks his office at Horst Engineering in East Hart- to the Middletown area from the shoreline everyone should plug in other people’s cars as ford, where he is the chief operating officer. “I town of Guilford. Mr. Murphy’s wife, Kara, a courtesy when theirs are finished charging. have several routes and mix it up depending is the development coordinator at CFPA’s “We need to be exemplars for the commu- on my available time, the weather conditions, office in Middlefield. The car Mr. Murphy nity,” he says. “Not everyone feels that way, as and the bicycle I choose to ride,” he says. had been driving needed expensive repairs he I’ve found out. We’ve had some trouble with “A typical route would be a mix of rail trails, could not justify. At Wesleyan, two electric people leaving the handles and cords on the bicycle paths, and roads. If I’m in a rush, car chargers are offered free. In Guilford, the ground, sticking them in snowbanks.” I might ride all roads on a direct 13-mile town offers four free chargers, two of them Christine Woodside is the editor of Connecticut (45-minute) route. It is slightly downhill at Town Hall and two at Bishop’s Orchard. Woodlands.

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 7 CAN CONNECTICUT REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES? “CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL” Wesleyan professor who serves on international climate panel says we must face our moral imperative to address its greatly evident impacts

BY GARY YOHE Perhaps most important, the Obama perspective by imposing a budget that would administration reached a bilateral agree- defund climate science and climate policy The following remarks were made at a March ment with China early in 2014 for verifi- across the board—at the EPA, at NASA [the 22 public event with Governor Dannel P. Malloy able and quantifiable reductions of green- National Aeronautics and Space Adminis- and other policy and science leaders by Wesleyan house gas emissions over the near-term with economist and environmental studies professor tration], in the Department of Commerce Gary Yohe, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in the expectation of more stringent cuts over where NOAA [the National Oceanic and 2007 for his work on the Intergovernmental Panel the longer term after more than a year of Atmospheric Administration] resides, in the on Climate Change. Dr. Yohe was responding to intense negotiations in Washington and Department of Energy where fundamental President Donald Trump’s proposed deep cuts Beijing. The agreement broke the logjam research in alternative energy resides, in the to federal environmental spending, including that had blocked progress in international Department of Transportation where much about $6 million that would go to Connecticut. negotiations for a global approach to mov- of the infrastructure planning will occur, and At this event, Connecticut Department of Energy ing forward with Dr. Holdren’s first two so on. Only Secretary of Defense [James] and Environmental Protection Commissioner options. With American and Chinese lead- Mattis has bucked this enormous headwind. Rob Klee said, “Science itself is under attack in ership, more than 190 nations signed the the federal budget.” As an American citizen, and on the basis of Paris Accord in December of that year. It is more than three decades of personal experi- r. John Holdren, past science advisor to an agreement collectively ence in research and assessment work about President Barack Obama and director P To reduce global emissions of greenhouse climate risks, I am convinced that it is irre- of his Office of Science and Technol- gases, sponsible and immoral for the elected and D ogy Policy, has often asserted: In con- P To underwrite adaptation across the appointed leaders of our country to dismiss fronting the growing risks associated with globe, the science that has produced undeniable climate change, America has three choices— P To incentivize innovation and economic evidence describing those risks and their “mitigate, adapt, or suffer.” development in alternative energy sources human sources. Climate change is real. We have already and, thereby, Ignoring the lessons from climate science seen its impacts in every corner of the country unnecessarily puts the lives, the communi- P To promote global opportunities for most vividly in terms of increases over the ties, the livelihoods, and the societal, eco- high-paying and productive jobs in a past few decades in the intensity and fre- nomic, and natural systems that sustain the dynamic economic sector that will surely quency of extreme weather events— well-being of their constituents directly in drive economic growth for decades. increased risk from riverine flooding, wide- harm’s way. In short, their doing so is noth- The accord came into force on Novem- spread droughts, associated wildfires, intense ing short of an abdication of their solemn ber 4, 2016. heat waves, severe cold spells, coastal flood- oath to “serve and protect” every American. ing, rising seas driven by warming tempera- By way of stark contrast, President Trump tures, shrinking ice sheets, so on. does not even have a science advisor, and he Gary Yohe is the Huffington Foundation pro- Climate science has shown us unequivo- has not populated the OSTP. His admin- fessor of economics and environmental studies cally that climate change and these risks are, istration has attacked climate science, and at Wesleyan University. He has been on the in large measure, the products of human reli- it has announced its intention to abandon faculty at Wesleyan for more than 30 years ance on fossil fuels. any initiative designed to ameliorate climate and involved with the IPCC since 1990. He The Obama administration took these risk in any way. This White House has dis- was educated at the University of Pennsylva- growing risks very seriously. The Depart- allowed taking account of growing climate nia, and received his PhD in economics from ment of Defense called climate change a risks across the federal government as part of Yale University in 1975. He is the author of “risk enhancer” to our national security. its plans for “administrative deconstruction.” more than 100 scholarly articles, several books, Various other departments and the Envi- It will undoubtedly disallow including future and many contributions to media coverage of ronmental Protection Agency developed climate change in the design of its forthcom- climate issues. Most of his work has focused at- and implemented a Clean Power Plan and ing $1 trillion infrastructure initiative. tention on the mitigation and adaptation/ an Adaptation Plan for federal properties and The Trump administration will try impacts sides of the climate issue. Contact him for governments of all sizes and persuasions. to implement this anti-climate science at [email protected].

8 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 CAN CONNECTICUT REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES?

DEAD WOOD GIVES OFF SIGNIFICANT METHANE, A POWERFUL GREENHOUSE GAS Scientists are trying to figure out this under-studied source

BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE time. Recently cut timber, especially stand- many decades, forestry studies did not look ing tree trunks, contains higher concentra- closely at methane. Methane traps heat in he study of methane—which among tions of methane than does wood on the the earth’s atmosphere at a greater rate than human sources of greenhouse gases ground. Second, the diameter of the log. carbon dioxide does, so it’s now something going into the atmosphere makes up A bigger log contains more methane, and scientists look at more closely. A handful of just 16 percent—sometimes fades into T the middle of the log is deficient in oxy- studies have verified the high concentrations the background of the public’s understand- gen. Single-cell organisms that consume the in recent years, and at least one more study is ing. Forests, of course, give off carbon diox- decaying wood will go to the places with less under peer review now, Dr. Covey says. But ide, methane, and other gases as the wood oxygen, and as they break down the wood, the greater implication of this understand- grows and decays. The contribution that the dead trees make has caught the notice they produce methane. Third, the species of ing—whether trees aren’t as good green- of some researchers in the past few years. I wood. Hardwoods such as oak and hickory, house gas sinks as thought—is completely talked with Kristofer Covey, a postdoctoral which dominate Connecticut’s forests, con- uncertain at this point because, like many researcher at Yale School of Forestry and tain more methane. Conifers such as hem- situations, methane, trees, and decomposi- Environmental Studies who studies meth- lock and pine contain less. tion are complicated. ane in various types of downed wood. He Dr. Covey says his former professor, the So far, he says, it’s clear that significant says that he and his colleagues in this some- late Dr. Thomas Siccama, used to talk about amounts of methane reside in dead trees as what new branch of climate science are look- the crowd-pleasing trick of coring a tree and they lie on the ground, but the amounts vary ing at three factors that drive the amounts listening to it hiss. This proved trees con- greatly from log to log, branch to branch, of methane emitted by deadwood. First, tain high concentrations of methane. But for trunk to trunk. Methane leaves the wood

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 9

CAN CONNECTICUT REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES?

DEAD WOOD continued from page 9 and goes into the air fairly soon after the tree falls or is cut. A cut log, or a standing tree trunk recently cut, could provide an easier way out for the methane because of the tree’s vas- cular system. Microbes that produce Engineered wood methane as they consume the wood products like these seem to be able to get at it quickly laminated I-beams through cut surfaces. save carbon and are Dr. Covey reported in a 2012 paper easier than steel to cut and move on that he and three colleagues—Dr. job sites. Xuhui Lee, a professor of meteorol- ogy at Yale, Dr. Stephen Wood, and WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Dr. Robert Warren, sampled 60 trees in Yale Myers Forest. The trees “con- tained concentrations of methane that were as high as 80,000 times ambient IS GOOD FOREST MANAGEMENT levels,” Dr. Lee said. “These are flammable concentra- tions,” Dr. Covey said at the time. THE ANSWER TO CLIMATE CHANGE? “Because the conditions thought to be driving this process are common Probably not all by itself, but it reduces carbon buildup throughout the world’s forests, we in the atmosphere, recent research finds believe we have found a globally signif- icant new source of this potent green- house gas.” BY THOMAS J. DEGNAN In his latest published research in the journal Biogeochemistry, Dr. Covey rees are naturally good at carbon sequestration, also known as carbon storage. Well-man- and others calculated northeastern aged forest trees and forest soils have long been known as great places to store carbon. As trees’ methane emissions as equal to a tree grows, it converts carbon dioxide in the air to stored carbon in the wood, leaves, 23 percent of the carbon these forests Ttwigs, and soil of the tree and releases oxygen back into the air. The storage of carbon in sequester, reducing their value as car- the wood of trees is only temporary. A young, vigorous tree grows fast and can store up to half bon sinks. its dry weight in carbon in its wood, but as the tree gets older and nears the end of its life, car- Since this new wave of research bon intake and storage decrease only to be released again when the tree dies and slowly decays. began only a few years ago, it can’t yet There is a way to improve on the ability for trees to function as stored carbon, and we have suggest how forest management might been doing it for a long time through the use of wood products for building. change in response, or if it should A working forest that is well managed to produce high-quality wood products can play a change. Because methane is a partic- significant part in reducing carbon being released into the atmosphere. Look around almost ularly powerful greenhouse gas, scien- any house or apartment: kitchen cabinets, wood floors, wood furniture and, behind the sheet- tists are watching the “global methane rock, usually more wood, all store carbon. These wood products are designed to last, capture budget,” so called by the international carbon, and keep the natural cycle of decay and release of CO from occurring. scientists’ group the Global Carbon 2 Today, engineered wood products go even further as carbon storage. Laminated beams Project. Greater methane emissions and cross-laminated timbers can replace steel and concrete in many building applications. come from farm animals and natu- Not only is the carbon in the wood stored for as long as the building is standing, the more ral gas production. Forests as a whole carbon-intense process of making steel and concrete is avoided. Chad Oliver, a professor at still absorb dramatically more green- house gases than they emit. But the the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and director of Yale’s Global Insti- tute of Sustainable Forestry, has estimated that 14 to 31 percent of the world’s CO emis- amount they absorb is less than previ- 2 ously thought. sions could be avoided using the combination of stored wood products, avoiding CO2 from more carbon-intense building products, and displacing fossil fuels in the energy production process from the use of forest residue for feedstock in bioenergy facilities.1 Studies show that wood buildings require less energy from resource extraction through manufacturing, distribution, and end-of-life disposal and are responsible for far less green- house gas emissions than are fossil fuel-intensive materials such as steel or concrete.2

10 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017

Using Wood Starts with Sustainable Although the El Dorado High School case Forest Management study focused on costs and how using wood Sustainable forest management maximizes brought the building back within the bud- growth of high-quality trees best suited for get, the carbon benefits were impressive also: a particular forest site. High-quality forest P 153,140 cubic feet of lumber panels and products such as good-grade oak, cherry, engineered wood used on the project maple, and pine lumber have a better chance P 3,660 metric tons of carbon stored in of ending up in residential or commercial the wood applications that store carbon over the long P 7,780 metric tons of CO emissions run. Even low-value wood from forest thin- 2 were avoided by not using steel and ning or from the tops and branches of trees masonry construction can be used in bioenergy facilities or in the production of wood pellet and brick prod- P For a total potential carbon benefit of 11,440 metric tons of CO ucts made from sawdust. When wood is used 2 to generate heat or electricity, it offsets the P Equivalent to 2,100 cars off the road use of oil, gas, or coal. for a year and the energy to operate Engineered wood products offer even an average home for 970 years. more opportunities to reduce a building’s North American Forests Store Carbon carbon footprint. “Engineered wood prod- ucts that can replace steel in residential struc- According to the U.S. Department of tural applications started gaining popularity Agriculture, the volume of net growth in in the late 1990s, but were still very expen- WOODWORKS.ORG U.S. forests is two times higher than the sive,” says Lance Pylko, senior structural El Dorado High School in Arkansas saved volume of annual removals. “Removals are 11,440 metric tons of carbon by using wood engineer at Burns & McDonnell, the firm at the lowest level in 60 years, and growth instead of steel and concrete for its new building. where I also work. “Over time, prices came has also slowed,” according to the report down as demand for longer spans in resi- “U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Histori- dential applications increased and additional cal Trends.”3 In Canada, less than 1 percent product manufacturers became available. systems, and the ultimate goal was to maxi- of managed forests are harvested annually.4 Engineered wood products such as lami- mize wood framing throughout the project. These results show that year after year, car- nated I-beams and cross-laminated timbers “By just changing the framing to wood, we bon continues to be stored in North Amer- can be used to increase a span without add- were able to save about $2.7 million, which ican forests, and there is opportunity to har- ing supports. These types of building materi- was 5 percent of the original $60 million vest and store even more carbon in wood als can be cut and installed on the job site by budget,” says architect Blakely Dunn, prin- products used in new construction. carpenters without specialized tools versus cipal of CADM Architecture, Inc. Well-managed forests provide landown- steel I-beams that require specialized tools Dimension lumber was used for interior ers with income to offset property owner- to cut and lift into place.” and exterior load-bearing walls, and lami- ship, support local economies, and more and nated wood I-joists were used to support more, research shows that they can lower Case Study of an Arkansas a second-floor concrete floor slab and were carbon emissions compared with using High School used for the roof structure of the two-story other, more carbon-intense building mate- A case study for the use of wood versus building. Altogether, the project used rials. So, by encouraging good forest stew- concrete and steel done by Woodworks.org P 521,760 square feet of plywood ardship and choosing wood products from sustainably managed forests, each of us has for El Dorado High School in El Dorado, P 632,928 board feet of dimension lumber Arkansas, offers us a useful example of how the ability to do our part in reducing the car- P 230,000 board feet of glued wood can replace steel and concrete to save bon footprint of development. laminated beams money while reducing the carbon footprint Thomas Degnan is the forester for the of the building. A new 322,500-square-foot P 134,376 linear feet of wood I-joists Connecticut Forest & Park Association and building was proposed to replace the out- Final construction and site development senior scientist and forester for Burns & Mc- dated 165,000-square-foot El Dorado High costs totaled $43.2 million, which was Donnell, an engineering and architecture School. As in most construction, cost was a within the school district’s budget. firm in Wallingford. concern. Original budget estimates of just over $60 million were too high, so the engi- 1 Oliver, C. D., N. T. Nassar, B. R. Lippke, and J. B. McCarter. 2014. Carbon, fossil fuel, and biodiversity mitigation with wood and for- neers were forced to look at alternatives to ests, Journal of Sustaining Forests. traditional steel and masonry where consid- 2 American Wood Council, “Wood and Carbon Footprint.” See awc.org. erable savings were able to be found. The 3 United States Department of Agriculture, “U.S. Forest Resource Facts and Historical Trends,” August 2014. Accessed in May 2017 project’s construction managers worked at https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/brochures/docs/2012/ForestFacts_1952-2012_English.pdf. with the lead architect to evaluate various 4 Natural Resources Canada; Forest Products Association of Canada

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 11 NEW ENGLAND TRAIL POET-IN-RESIDENCE

hroughout the year, SKEIN II the New England Trail STUCK LYRICS poet-in-residence, T David K. Leff of The goldfinches have been cast, I was on my way into the gym and Collinsville, Connecticut, presents poetry in this space ingots against the fractured landscape heard the geese blaring before I saw them, to amplify understanding of of winter’s wreckage, a skein from the west, the V visible the 215-mile-long trail. The NET is the first of the crooked fingers on knuckled hands but ragtag. I was looking up now, and 11 national scenic trails reaching up toward prodigious blue clouds, from the east a second skein was coming, designated by the U.S. Congress to get its own those unreachable miracles their raucous clamor growing as they rammed poet. The trail begins at we’ve come to anticipate— the firstV, though “rammed” may not be the best Long Island Sound in Guilford and continues nothing like the lyrics looping in my head way to describe what I saw; it was more north through the traprock for three days now, like the calibration of clockworks, each ridges and backcountry of Connecticut and or the mockingbirds bird part of a pinion meshing with the Massachusetts to the that have returned after 15 years larger wheel, a gear-train powering south. New Hampshire border. to see if there’s anything new to say, though our aspirations should be for silence As one bird pulled in behind the other, Featured poet: which the skulls disallow, their heart rates slowed but their speed increased as JOHN L. STANIZZI disappointing the mockingbirds they slipstreamed across the January headed for the hills sky; and then a third skein came barreling repeating only what they hear. in from the north, the third wheel in this huge John L. Stanizzi is the going-train, urging and gliding, every author of the collections Ecstasy Among Ghosts, goose baying a one note song millions of Sleepwalking, Dance years old; and below their riotous noise Against the Wall, After the Bell, Hallelujah Time!, and High Tide—Ebb Tide. the V appeared with the kind of wonder Mr. Stanizzi’s poems have appeared in Prairie that becomes visible only after Schooner, American Life it has happened. And I was left standing, in Poetry, The New York Quarterly, Tar River my senses staggered, my spirit increased, Poetry, Rattle, Passages as in the distance their yawping became North, The Spoon River Quarterly, Poet Lore, quiet, their instinct, their impulse for south and many others, and moving them along, me waiting for spring, he is finishing up a new collection entitled Chants. the geese gone, their perfect escapement done. He teaches literature in an adjunct capacity at Manchester Community College in Manchester and lives with his wife, Carol, in Coventry.

12 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 “THE HARVEST OF A COMING AGE” CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | SUMMER 2017 Remembering James L. Goodwin and his preserved land in Chaplin and Hampton

BY JEAN WIERZBINSKI Friends President Steve Broderick, the group provides 2,500 volunteer hours per year, the ames L. Goodwin believed that Connect- equivalent of one-and-a-half staff positions. icut citizens must manage forests well. The Friends fund the Goodwin program direc- His ideas agreed with those of the tor, Beth Bernard. J Connecticut Forest & Park Association when it formed as the Connecticut Forestry From New York to a Tired Woodland Association in 1895, recognizing the “urgent Mr. Goodwin’s wife, Dorothy Wendall need for preserving and using them rightly” JAMES L. GOODWIN STATE FOREST Davis Goodwin, was descended from an old and the need “to disseminate information Above, James L. Goodwin. Hampton family with deep ties to this small, related to the science of forestry.” Top, Pine Acres Lake at sunset. rural town. There, the Goodwins established a In his privately printed 1951 book A His- working forest and farm in the out-of-the-way tory of Pine Acres Farm, Mr. Goodwin wrote, and the adjacent town of Chaplin, owned by eastern Connecticut village, aiming to replen- “A forester should, if he has the means and the Connecticut Department of Energy and ish the state’s lost woodlands. The effort ele- time, in my estimation, own and manage a Environmental Protection and operated in a vated him to prominence in the state’s nascent tract of woodland according to forestry prin- public-private partnership with CFPA. The forest conservation movement. ciples and in this way learn in a truly practi- Goodwin Center, situated in the 2,000-acre Born in New York City in 1881, Mr. Good- cal way what it means to cut timber conserva- Goodwin State Forest, runs programs for win was descended from one of Connecticut’s tively and make it pay.” students, teachers, land managers, and other earliest and most illustrious families. His ances- Mr. Goodwin had both the means and the interested visitors on the natural world and tor, Ozias Goodwin, came to America in 1632 time. He made it his mission to do his part in forest management. The land includes three and helped found Hartford. His grandfather restoring the state’s woodlands while also earn- ponds and 17 miles of trails for hiking, skiing, was Major James Goodwin, founder of the ing income. He started about a century ago by and horseback riding. Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Com- moving into an old farmhouse and acquiring The state provides a naturalist for eight pany, and his father was James Junius Good- old farm and forest tracts. In 1964, he donated months a year; an all-volunteer group, win, a prominent banker who was first cousin 80 acres and the farmhouse to the state of Con- the Friends of Goodwin Forest, works to J. P. Morgan. When he died in 1915, James necticut and provided a trust for its develop- under CFPA on fund-raising, planning pro- Junius’s estate was valued at $30 million—the ment as a conservation education center. grams and speakers, maintaining the trails and equivalent of nearly $724 million in 2017 dol- The Goodwin property today is the James gardens, and building and maintaining kiosks lars. James L. Goodwin had good connections L. Goodwin Conservation Center in Hampton with park information and maps. According to on his maternal side, as well. His mother was

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 13 ------JAMES L. GOODWIN STATE FOREST In 1923, Mr. Goodwin had built a large Stan Crawford from the Friends of Good intend to maintain hisMr. Goodwin did not werewall stone and an old pasture 1916, In stead. Photos show a walkway leading from the house to Route 6 with orderly plantings on either side. addition to the west side of the house, also designed by his brother. It included a new liv ing room, and two bedrooms above. The old ell. There were dormers on the second floor, and under the overhang of the roof at the back area. porch a defined columns decorative wide win Forest notes an interesting architectural feature that creates the illusion that the off set chimney is in the center of the house. is of local stone,massive center fireplace “The unique in that as it protrudes through the third floor, it then has a built-in list of approximately the exteriorso that 15 degrees from plumb, appearance is of a chimney passing exactly through the center of the peak of the roof.” primary residence on the property. “The east side of the house was planned for the use of the forester and the west side had rooms for me while visiting the farm.” The caretaking canvas house in“the family originally lived in the pine grove” and “much of the time lived on the rabbits which abounded in the woods.” Their substantial new home must have seemed quite luxurious in comparison. cleared from the front of the house. Vegeta ble and flower gardens were planted in their Museum of Modern Art in New York City, but the simple, elegant design for his brother’s three-story house is quintessential New Eng land. It is similar to a classic Connecticut salt anbox with a huge stone center chimney and - - - , Mr. Good (Ingalls Print Folklore and Firesides in A History of Pine Acres Farm By 1915, Mr. Goodwin determined hedetermined Goodwin Mr. 1915, By His architect brother, Philip, designed the The tall pines and winding trails in Goodwin In The Goodwin house in 2017. The Goodwin house in home. Philip was one of the designers of the the hill was “so named for an old woman who was believed to be a witch, even that she had charmed an immense gray squirrel that ran chattering along the road side walls, defying the sharpshooters’ skill.” Designed the House His Brother oldthe He razed superintendent. needed a house to build another for this overseer, sav andpaneling, stones, chimney and hearth ing beams for the new structure. bushes and apple trees.” A photograph showsphotograph A trees.” apple and bushes a house in disrepair with no windows or doors, aits siding weathered. Across the road stood small barn. airState Forest give James Goodwin’s farm an of enchantment. It is not surprising that there is a legend attached to it. Susan Griggs tells the story in her book Pomfret, Hampton and Vicinity ing, 1950). Pine Acres Hill was once known as Moulton Hill, probably after early settler Robert Moulton. The tale goes, though, that County for scientific farming are good.” AfterCounty for scientific farming are good.” visiting Hampton, Mr. Goodwin wrote there “was much abandoned and unused farm and aand reforestation, for suitable land pasture large area of red oak hardwood.” The price was right at $8 to $15 an acre. He bought a28 acres in 1913, adding 19 acres on which farmhouse stood one year later. win described it as “an old, tumbled down house” that was “surrounded by ancient lilac ------| SUMMER 2017 CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS |

The survey reported, “Increasing interest Concerns had been growing since the late Connecticut’s landscape had altered dra As a boy, James attended prestigious Gro attended prestigious As a boy, James

14 ing purposes are being planted, particularly to white pine.” It reported that apples grew Windhamin opportunities “the that and well in forestry is being manifested. Such of the rough areas that cannot be used for farm read Soil Survey of Windham County, Con Agri of Department U.S. the which necticut, culture published in 1912. tree species, and negative repercussions for the land itself. As Mr. Goodwin scouted for suit able places for his woodland farm, he may have 19th century about the harmful effects of deforestation, including loss of habitat for native wildlife, near elimination of some native to woods, only about 47 percent of Connect icut was forested in 1913, according to the Long Island Sound Study. mals such as deer and bears had almost disap thepeared. Although westward movement in 1800s allowed abandoned farmland to revert farm settlement began clearing forests in thefarm settlement began clearing forests in the17th century. By 1825, just 20 percent of state remained forested, and many grazing ani matically from the time of the first European century. Colonial20th to the early settlers from that year shows a handsome young manyear shows a from that with an expression at once determined and kind, traits he exhibited throughout his life. Studies), epicenter of the emerging forest pres forest emerging the of epicenter Studies), ervation and management movement. James graduated in 1910 with a masters of forestry, a new area of concentration. A photo of him Harvard Forestry School. He transferred toHarvard Forestry School. He transferred the Yale Forest School (which later became the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental edly that the law was not for me, nor I for theedly that the law was Europe and the south law.” He travelled in thewestern United States before enrolling in he wanted to study law. As he later wrote inhe wanted to study law. “After one year,a history of Yale graduates, my mind quite decid however, I made up befriended the future President Franklin Del befriended the future his graduation fromano Roosevelt. Upon Yale, initially becauseGroton, James attended residents as “The Castle.”residents as father’s cousin J. P.ton School, where his While there, JamesMorgan was a trustee. ily. The Goodwin family lived in New York family lived ily. The Goodwin in Hartford, a “country home” City but kept to the city’s mansion known a huge Gothic a member of the Lippincott publishing fam of the Lippincott publishing a member CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | SUMMER 2017 SUMMER | COMMUNITY THE IN CFPA CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | SUMMER 2017 CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | SUMMER 2017 ------15

| CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | World War II brought change of a differ During the Great Depression, “boys” from The Hurricane of 1938 was a disaster for (Mr. Goodwin wrote that Governor John(Mr. Goodwin wrote heldrecalled, Goodwin Mr. island, The Mr. Goodwin created 135-acre Pine Acres ous heavy rains, and the trees, unable to main tain their grasp of the sodden earth, toppled to the ground. It took the Goodwins’ work ers a week to clear the roads and an incredible four years to cut and sell the blown timber. ent kind. Mr. Goodwin writes, “Due to the with stocking the lake with trout failed when the water proved too warm. Large-mouth bass did better and still populate the lake. During the summer of 1945, Mr. Goodwin allowed customers to fish Pine Acres Lake. He charged 50 cents to rent a boat. Only catfish could be kept—any bass caught had to be thrown thisfrom Goodwins made $104 back. The enterprise. During the unusually cold winter of 1945, Pine Acres Lake froze to the bottom, resulting in a massive fish kill. a nearby Civilian Conservation Corps camp thebecame available to help with work on farm. Mr. Goodwin built a cold storage struc ture to store apples while he waited for buy ers. One of his primary customers was “Fos whoWillimantic” of seller wholesale fruit ter, a came once a week to select apples, which he then sold to retailers. Hurricane Devastation the farm. High winds and heavy rains battered the tree plantations, some of them 50 years old. The soil was already wet because of previ of 1,442 acres, including a cedar swamp sur including a cedar of 1,442 acres, which rose“Governor’s Island,” rounding large grew which on and wetland the above beech, hick hemlock, tulip, oak, white pines, growtha thick with chestnut trees, ory, and laurel beneath. of mountain island in 1843, henceCleveland owned the it was John’s father,the name. However, who was the gover Chauncey F. Cleveland, 1842 to 1844.)nor of Connecticut from as tril flowers such unusual and rare “many grew in thick profusionlium, and Calla lilies secluded spot, whichand formed a delightfully flooded could only bewhen the swamp was reached by water. Owing to the inaccessibility of the island, the trees had never been cut, were quite old and formed a practically virgin forest.” Lake in 1933 by damming Cedar Swamp Brook, inspired by beavers. An experiment

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Land acquisition, plantings, and improve By 1922, he had replaced teams of horses By 1922, he had replaced teams of horses farmbecame Stocking Edson 1926, In Over the next few years, Mr. Goodwin next few years, Mr. Over the value as lumber. By 1934, the farm consisted ing from his hand. ments continued over the next few years. Mr. Goodwin improved the wood roads, drilled an artesian well, created a small pond by dam deadcut and sawmill, a built brook, a ming chestnuts, which had been decimated by the chestnut blight accidentally introduced to the United Stated in 1900. The chestnut was sold to a company specializing in producing por table fences. Mr. Goodwin also dealt with an invasion of the pine weevil, which fed on the leaders of young white pines, destroying their for 40 years. Mr. Goodwin was pleased with Mr. Stocking’s meticulous work. Mr. Stock ing had managed the state nursery in Sims Con the for patrolman a as worked and bury necticut State Forestry Department and Tal- cott Mountain Forest Protective Association. He married just as he accepted the new posi tion. Mr. Stocking and his wife moved into the “forester’s house,” where they raised two children. The Stockings appear often in the Goodwins’ book and photo collections. Mr. Stocking loved wildlife and once adopted two orphaned fawns. Old photos show them eat with a tractor. Two years later, after a pass ing train’s spark ignited a fire that burned 43 acres, Mr. Goodwin dug pools to pro vide water, the remains of which can his still be seen today. His papers record for involvement with forest fire prevention years afterword. ManagerNursery to Superintendent superintendent and continued in that role 175,000 board feet and 200 cords of dead feet and 200 cords 175,000 board some white pine. chestnut and and planted timber acquired additional land potatoes, and stands of trees, apple orchards, wife his and caretaker new A trees. Christmas pigs and ducks, added “cows and chickens, hens.” Deer continued and geese and guinea a trees apple new the finding him, pester to to com Mr. Goodwin spent $175 delicacy. orchards with a total of pletely fence in two with Scotch pine 10 acres. He experimented for reforestation. but found it unsuitable acres of apples in addition to pruning exist in addition to pruning acres of apples rye. A local He also planted ing orchards. saw and cut his portable resident brought ------JAMES L. GOODWIN STATE FOREST Work slowed because of World War I, Work slowed because of World War I, Between 1914 and 1915, as Mr. Good Across the road, he built a large barn toAcross the road, he A stone wall catches splotches of sunlight. war ended in 1918, Mr. Goodwin planted 4 war ended in 1918, Mr. Goodwin planted were planted” in the open fields. When the were planted” in the open fields. When produce as much food as possible, no tree produce as much food as possible, no tree planting was done, and potatoes and oats when, he wrote, “all farmers were urged to when, he wrote, “all farmers were urged winter, deer had eaten all but 10 to 12 trees. 12 to 10 but all eaten had deer winter, and 1,000 Douglas fir trees, although the lat and 1,000 Douglas fir trees, although the the of At the end well. work out did not ter adding gardens. He planted six acres of oats adding gardens. He planted six acres of oats and added gardens. In 1917, he bought still and added gardens. In 1917, he bought still more land and continued planting trees and land, planted white and red pines and hard woods, added more land, planted more trees, win recounted in his history, he cleared the win recounted in his history, he cleared gees lived there. point in the 1940s, a family of Latvian refu point in the 1940s, a swamp. The barn had a second and third floor and second a had The barn swamp. for his workers. At onewith living quarters white cedar harvested from a nearby cedarwhite cedar harvested replace the small older one. The shingles andreplace the small older came exclusively fromsiding of the new barn still hold many of Mr. Goodwin’s books.still hold many of Mr. the original color. Glass-fronted bookshelvesthe original color. Glass-fronted The room has been restored, with workersroom has been The layers of paint to matchscraping through five dows decorated with classic columned trim. with classic columned dows decorated room. Included in this addition was a lovely,a was addition this in Included room. arched win with recessed sunlit study/library living room became a dining room and the became a dining room living room to a bath was converted upstairs bedroom CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY | SUMMER 2017 He also was an officer of the Talcott Mountain He alsowasanofficeroftheTalcottMountain CFPA BoardofDirectorsfrom1954to1961. and landscapearchitect.Hewaspresidentofthe National ChristmasTreeGrowersAssociation. cut representativetotheexecutiveboardof color.” HeeventuallybecametheConnecti its needlesbetter,shapesuphasbetter that white spruce was best because “it holds After 28yearsofexperience,heconcluded anticipated cuttingandselling4,000thatyear. various levelsofmaturitygrewon50acres.He Sunday Journalthat70,000Christmastreesat In 1953,StockingreportedinTheProvidence very successful business enterprise since 1930.” fast growthofSouthernpines,thishasbeena an appreciableincome..Onaccountofthe which nowcanbecutandfromthereis or thirty years ago grow to merchantable size been interestingtowatchtreesplantedtwenty has grownanddeveloped since 1914.Ithas ing 1,700 acres. “From a small beginning, this ing his property in Hampton, by then measur wrote thathis“chiefinterests”weremanag he wrote fora Yale alumni publication. He his lifetimefarmprojectinanautobiography after Mr.Goodwinreportedglowinglyof Despite thestarktruthoffarmincome,soon and overheadcosts,thenetprofitwas$2,833. for thefarm.Itgrossed$4,845,butafterlosses reported that1950wasthefirstprofitableyear years afterhisfirstlandpurchase,Mr.Goodwin deeply involved in his property. Thirty-seven Harlow thefollowingyearandremained December 5,1945.HemarriedGenevieve sold woodattheroadsidefor$10acord. burning wood in their furnaces.” The farm ing greatereveryyearandmanypeoplewere war thedemandforfirewoodwasbecom difficulty ofobtainingcoaloroilduringthe 16 Mr. Goodwin worked as a forestry consultant Mr. Goodwinworkedasaforestryconsultant Christmas trees became an important crop. Mr. Goodwin’swife,Dorothy,diedon

| CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS Coming inthenextissueof EVERYONE’S CONNECTICUT: P P CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS P More poemscelebratingtheNewEngland Trail Areporter visitsa“closed”park Remembering Frederic Walcott’s 1921report onConnecticut’s losthabitats |SUMMER 2017 - - - - a hazard to heavily traveled Route 6 as well as a hazard to heavily traveled Route 6 as well as Many ofthetreeshadheartrot,representing these whitepinesafterthe1938hurricane. have beencleared.Mr.Goodwinplanted between thefarmhouseandPineAcresPond weakened trees are removed. Recently, areas goals, timberisharvested.Damagedand est. ContinuingwithJamesL.Goodwin’s the moneyneeded. with DEEPandthestatelegislaturetoraise pay theentirecost.TheFriendsareworking for thisproject,theamountisnotsufficientto Although somestatebondfundsareavailable Friends, notesthattheexteriorneedspainting. intact. StephenH.Broderick,presidentofthe original interiorwoodworkingandtrimare of GoodwinForestreportsthatmostthe to Mr.Goodwin.StanCrawfordoftheFriends Places andhousesasmallmuseumdedicated It isontheConnecticutRegisterofHistoric itors at the main entranceonPotter Road. Renovation Funds Badly Needed doing dishes”afterdinners. him wearing“anaprontiedaroundhiswaist social centerofthetown,wheresherecalls down-to-earth memberoftheGrange, Resident LeilaOsbtyremembershimasa est andParkCenter. new headquarterstheJamesL.GoodwinFor Tree FarmSystem.In1986,CFPAnamedits tree farmoftheyearin1956byAmerican Connecticut, GreatPondForest,wasnamed win ownedandlaterdonatedtothestateof American Forests.AnotherpropertyMr.Good shire Forests,andseniorfellow of theSociety the SocietyforProtectionofNewHamp Forest Protective Association, vice president of a fire danger. Because the planting was dense, a firedanger.Becausetheplantingwasdense, The Goodwinlandremainsaworkingfor The Goodwinhousestillwelcomesvis Mr. GoodwinwasbelovedinHampton. - - - - - Sayles School in Sprague. Sayles SchoolinSprague. Jean Wierzbinskiistheretiredprincipalof harvested his barn’s shingles. Hikers can walk harvested hisbarn’sshingles.Hikerscanwalk “Burnt CedarSwamp,”whereMr.Goodwin Pine AcresLakespeaktoitsoriginsasthe see traces of its history. Stumps and logs in was soldbeforeitrotted. including treesfelledbyHurricaneSandy, in years. Timber near smaller Brown Pond, spotted displayinghisdanceforthefirsttime the woodcock.Thisspring,awoodcockwas ponents” forwater-lovingspeciesofbirdslike soil nearapondcontainsalltheperfectcom Mr. Broderick.Hereportedthat“themoist succession habitat for wildlife,accordingto regenerating andprovidesascarceearly- sive speciesifpossible. regenerate andaretryingtokeepoutinva trees suchastamarack( if thinned.Forestersarehopingthatnative would notbeabletowithstandstrongwinds all treeshadtobeharvested.Healthy of aTree,”in Henry CuylerBunner’spoem,“TheHeart age.” He had included this quotation from having leftbehind“theharvestofacoming ing hislandtothestateatageof86, One canstillfishinPineAcrespond. built stillwindtheirwaythroughthewoods. main entrance,andtheroadsMr.Goodwin fires alongtheway.Thehousestandsat lined poolsMr.Goodwinhadbuilttofight Governor’s Islandandspotthesmallrock- State ParkTrailorfollowthemarkedpathto along oldrailroadbedsnowpartofAirLine These thingsheplantswhoatree. The joythatunborneyesshallsee— The harvestofacomingage; Today, visitors to Goodwin Forest can still Today, visitorstoGoodwinForestcanstill Across thepond,apriorclearedareais Mr. Goodwindiedthreeyearsafterdonat A HistoryofPineAcresFarm Larix laricina) will will : - - -

ALMANAC

BY KATHERINE HAUSWIRTH Adult wasps are out scouting for fruit juice and nectar this time of year, and they seek ne blustery day long before it was warm, I meat, mostly in the form of other insects, came home from my walk with a downed to feed the youngsters back at home. Some wasp’s nest the size of a basketball. I breeds will go after carrion and even our pic- Oreached in through a jagged tear in the nic lunches when they go looking for food. narrower end and pulled out one of the per- As summer progresses, new fertile females fectly hexagonal sections made up of smaller will hatch and mate with young males, and hexagonal cells. It looked as if it had been WIKIMEDIA COMMONS the whole life cycle will begin anew. By late assembled from a kit of interlocking blocks. The intricate layers of a wasp’s nest resemble summer or early fall, we’ll be seeing more of fine sculpture. The outer shell’s subtle streaks of white had the wasps, too—by then the kids have been a wavy appearance and was trailing strips of raised and they are all just enjoying the long “paper,” no doubt loosened by autumn and days of the season, zooming around and look- winter’s insistent wind and showers. ing for sweets. I watched a video about a family that had A volume from 1900, Wasps and Their ordered a defunct wasp’s nest through the SUMMER’S Ways (Dodd, Mead), by Margaret Morley, mail, quite similar to my find. They pulled credits these creatures with being well ahead it out of its box with groans of disgust and of us, industriously churning out paper while sliced it open with horrified drama. The chil- SCULPTORS we humans were carving on stone, tanning dren kept saying, “Ugh!” My own attitude, animal hides, and flattening papyrus and birch borrowing an apt phrase from the Psalms, is AND SIPPERS bark, all in an effort to design a good writing that these nests are “fearfully and wonderfully surface. When we finally took up the craft of made,” but I do appreciate that the “fear- making paper, our method of mashing wood fully” part is quite literal for some because that gardener is highly allergic!). Keeping the into pulp and adding liquids was not too far wasps sting. Once stung, many of us are for- nests around, when feasible, can have a silver from that of the Vespids. ever wary. I did notice, though, that in the lining: They are never reused and their con- In Sojourns of a Backyard Biologist (Lit- video the kids’ eyes brightened with interest tinuing presence can actually be a deterrent tle, Brown, 1991), Roger B. Swain captures and their jaws dropped in amazement when to new wasp “condos”—you can even buy the pleasures we can find in the wasp, if we they witnessed the fine detail of the structure faux nests that will announce to these ter- can get past some initial apprehension: “If within and the few cubbies still occupied with ritorial creatures that your deck or patio is we can forget the few times we were stung, unlucky offspring that had never made it out. already taken. ignore the fearful warnings of friends, we can Wasps will, of course, sting en masse if What’s going on in the aerial nests that are watch wasps catching flies and small cater- their home is threatened—by a Godzilla-sized mostly obscured by the summer foliage? Back pillars to feed their young. We can watch as sneaker that tramples their roof, for exam- in the spring, a fertilized queen, who had they scrape up wood fibers into pulpy balls to ple—but they are not otherwise especially perhaps overwintered under some tree bark, carry back and add to the nest. In the fall... aggressive insects. One author pointed out emerged and started to set up her home. She we can cut the big bald-faced hornets’ nest that many aerial nests only become apparent found some good wood to chew, breaking out of the lilac. Slicing open its many-layered when the leaves start to fall. For the most part, down the fibers with her saliva, and she built paper envelope, we will find level upon level wasps avoid humans. some cells where she could lay her eggs, one of comb, intricate architecture built without As I walk through hill and dale this summer, in each compartment. She fed her babies blueprints or a foreman.” I will pass mostly unawares below and above some liquefied caterpillars, and the worker As I walk through the woodlands, I often (and hopefully not directly on) a variety of wasps born from her larvae joined in to craft tune into “big picture” things—the vista at wasp’s nests bustling with activity. Both yellow hexagons that together formed the rooms the top of a rocky climb, the way the canopy jackets and hornets, which share the Vespidae of their home. A quick Internet search pro- looks in the light, the path ahead. I find it a family, build paper-like nests that include outer vides some time-lapse videos of the method- comfort that so much is going on beneath walls. Some fashion their homes in vacated ani- ical sculpting project that makes the nest. the surface. Earnest, if tiny, life cycles go on mal burrows in the ground. Others build aer- The artisans eject softened wood from their beneath those leaves and alongside that path. ial nests on tree branches or buildings. (Peo- mouths and lay it down like plaster, carefully Summer is a good time to think about the ple often refer to these nests as “paper wasp” smoothing the surface. They leave a narrow unseen, to be curious and watchful, and to nests, but the paper wasp is a distinct variety opening that is a good spot for defending look closer. that doesn’t construct an outer layer.) their home and for controlling its tempera- Experts urge us to coexist with these paper- ture and humidity. Over time, they continue Katherine Hauswirth lives in Deep River and lantern-like abodes when they are not in an to remodel, expanding the nest to make room blogs at fpnaturalist.com. Her new book, The especially threatening spot. Wasps’ predation for more young. Several generations of work- Book of Noticing: Collections and Connec- of other insects, including caterpillars, makes ers are coming and going as we go about our tions on the Trail (Homebound Publications) them a gardener’s friend (unless, of course, summer—they live just two to four weeks. was published in May.

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 17 ON THE TRAILS

he Connecticut Forest & Park Associ- hikers for several more editions. All the way ation published its first edition of the through the 16th edition published in 1990, Connecticut Walk Book in 1937. It the guide followed the basic format and text Tcost 50 cents and covered 127 pages. of Mr. Heermance’s original. The introduc- “WHERE SHALL Although he did not credit himself, we know tion through all those years still started out, that Edgar Heermance, “Father of the Blue “Where shall we walk today? This book was WE WALK TODAY?” Trails” and then secretary of the associa- compiled to help you find an answer.” And tion, wrote the book. The prose wasted no it noted the importance of those who kept A brief history of the words, and trail descriptions usually were in the trails open: Connecticut Walk Book short phrases. Hand-drawn maps appeared Due credit should be given to our volun- as pullout pages with each trail section. The teer trail crews, busy men and women who BY CHRISTINE WOODSIDE book was divided into three parts: “Walks work on trails in spare hours and provide About Connecticut,” “Through Trails,” and their own tools and gasoline. They cannot “General Information.” By then, volunteers be expected to maintain their trails per- had been marking and painting blue blazes fectly, especially after the heavy growth of on some 400 miles of trail in the explo- late spring and early summer. Branches sion of trail marking and exploration dating and trees continually fall across the trail, to 1929. and hikers who remove these can provide The Walk Book was the 36th publication valuable assistance. CFPA put out. (Others included pamphlets —From the introduction to the 1978 about flood control,How to Burn Wood, and edition, page 11. this magazine, which had begun the year The ninth edition in 1972 introduced a before. A guide to ski trails had appeared three-ring-binder format and cost $4.50. earlier the same year.) The Walk Book cost Like previous guides, it warned hikers that $600 to produce, which CFPA paid in they traveled at their own risk across private installments. In December 1937, Treasurer land, through which many of the trails went. Charles W. Whittlesey reported that Mr. This edition introduced walkers to Connect- Heermance “was sure that if he could get icut’s 1971 Public Act 249, legally limiting the cost charged into 1938, he could make the liability of property owners whose land the book pay for itself.” He thought it could trails crossed. This meant that walkers must because not even three months after publica- remember that they are responsible for their tion the book had brought in $130, mean- own safety, and owners could not be held ing that 260 books had been sold already. liable for any injury. This edition also noted The fifth edition, published in 1962, that motorized vehicles were not allowed cost $2.75. It included redrawn maps by and urged people witnessing such uses to The new Connecticut Walk Book has evolved Seymour R. Smith—these would guide tell CFPA about them. back to one volume, produced in partnership with Wesleyan University Press.

Where shall we walk today? This book tries to help you find the answer. Con- necticut makes good hiking country, with its rugged hills, glacial streams and lakes, and the trap rock ridges running up and down the central lowland. Though the State is densely populated, there is a sur- prising amount of wild land, attractive, accessible. Go out a few miles from any of our larger cities and you find yourself in the wilderness. —Edgar Heermance in the introduc- tion to the firstConnecticut Walk Book, CONNECTICUT FOREST & PARK ASSOCIATION ARCHIVES October 1937 A map of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails in 1940 shows interconnected trails in the west. Later, some sections of those trails were closed by landowners.

18 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 From left, the Walk Book in 1946 featured simple art on the cover and a section of suggested walks; in 1978, the cover featured a then-modern CFPA logo; a royal-blue plastic cover first appeared in 1981; and in 2005 the first of two volumes was published.

As new editions were compiled every look. In the 17th, Mr. Heermance’s original Then came the 18th edition, one a Walk few years, the reasonable price crept up— introduction, beginning, “Where shall we Book committee had hoped would greatly the seventh edition in 1968 cost $3.50 and walk today?” was scrapped, the book start- improve hiker navigation. It was published numbered 117 pages, the 12th edition in ing out instead, “Enjoyment of Connecti- in 1997 and was in use until 2005. Engi- 1978 cost $5.50, the 13th in 1981 cost $7, cut’s forest and open space heritage requires neering firm Fuss & O’Neill created topo- the 14th in 1984 cost $9.95, the price had access. For many residents sufficient access graphic maps using U.S. Geological Survey risen to $14 by the 16th edition in 1990, for is provided by an automobile. . . . Other and Appalachian Trail maps, superimposing example—and in each edition, trail descrip- residents—those who want a more intimate Blue Trail routes on top of the topo maps. tions were updated to match changes. association with the forest—can use the sys- Many hikers and CFPA members found Through all the editions, the introduction tem of over 500 miles of Blue-Blazed Hik- these maps hard to read. They appeared only credited the many people who had worked ing Trails sponsored by the Connecticut For- in that edition. on the book, revealing what a group effort est and Park Association.” This new preface The 19th edition grew in size and split the Connecticut Walk Book was. The 12th sounded a bit sterner—perhaps because it edition, published in 1978, placed the maps was designed to introduce new hikers to the into two volumes. Connecticut Walk Book at the end and credited a second mapmaker, trails. Dr. Burlew seemed to take the editing East, edited by CFPA trail coordinator Ann William C. Schmidt. to heart, achieving nothing less than a com- T. Colson and Cindi D. Pietrzyk, came out plete rewrite of the opening pages. He did in 2005. It included attractive photographs Blue Plastic Introduced the editing and proofreading with his wife, by Robert Pagini and others, and sidebar The look of the outside changed dramat- Grace Schaum Burlew, with whom he ran articles. The maps were entirely new, created ically in 1981 with the 13th edition. A royal an advertising map business. by Mrs. Colson using the latest map technol- blue plastic cover mimicked the blue shade That 16th edition also changed formats: ogy. The Connecticut Walk Book West, edited of the state of Connecticut’s oval trail-cross- It tabulated mileages on the left side of the by Mrs. Colson, appeared the next year. ing signs on state roads. It printed an out- pages, and it described trails in a new way. The new Connecticut Walk Book has line of Connecticut and the new slogan, “A Dr. Burlew offered a bit of a grammar lesson evolved back to one volume, produced in Trail Guide to the Connecticut Outdoors.” in the preface as he explained the change: partnership with Wesleyan University Press. Through five more editions, this blue color The change to tabulated mileages has The book continues its distinguished prac- enclosed the trail descriptions and maps. The made it convenient to express the descrip- tice of using a large group of volunteers. 14th edition was the first to grow in size— tions from the point of view of the hiker, Trail managers and others provided trail a full inch taller. rather than to describe the route of the descriptions and checked data against the John Hibbard, CFPA executive direc- trail. This means that the verb in a descrip- new maps. The maps are in color for the first tor, secretary, and forester, edited the book tion of the trail route is in the imperative time and include mileage tables. An e-book from the mid-1960s until 1978. Shelton mood: The hiker is told where to go or and connection to online interactive maps B. Hicock edited editions 13 through 15. what to do. The declarative mood, used The book’s editor for the 16th (1990) and for information not directly related to the gives hikers access to the latest trail changes the 17th (1993) editions was retired chem- hiker’s route—such as the destination of a and conditions, as well as directions to the ist John S. Burlew, the former director of side trail—is put in square brackets. Reg- trailheads. Just as the first edition prom- the Connecticut Research Commission. Dr. ular parentheses are used for information ised, the Walk Book will answer that ques- Burlew made major changes. In the 16th, of immediate concern, such as an eleva- tion, “Where shall we walk today?” and make the introduction included diagrams of how tion along the route. those journeys safe and fun. blazes and double turn blazes on the trail —Page v.

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 19 FROM THE LAND

THINKING ABOUT

NUT TREESFOREST TREES OF CONNECTICUT, CFPA From left, black walnut, chestnut, and butternut.

BY JEAN CRUM JONES tall and straight, with a nice canopy of shade brown stains on their children’s hands. Try leaves in the summer. as we did to keep the nuts raked up, we here is an old proverb, “The best time to I knew the fruits of these trees could yield could not compete with the trees’ fertility. plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second a tasty treat and were used by Native Amer- We have saved the sawn black walnut lum- best time is now.” Deciding to plant a icans as a winter food source. But, try as I ber and are considering how best to use it nut tree requires a lot of space because T did—by putting them between stones and to remember Philip and his great love of they grow to be big trees. They also take a whacking them with a sledgehammer— growing trees. while to mature before producing a crop. they never yielded delicious nut pieces; they Black walnut trees yield a precious lum- But, the benefit of such trees is a belief in were truly “ too tough a nut to crack.” I ber that has long been valued for furniture the future and the knowledge that these trees was also careful when handling the fallen making, and it was also used extensively in will benefit grandchildren and the surround- husks because they excrete a dark brown Connecticut for the manufacture of small ing wildlife for a long time. dye that permanently colors whatever mate- arms since the Colonial period. Black wal- Over the winter, I had the longevity of nut rial it touches. nut was favored for gunstocks because it trees on my mind. In February, my family One of the black walnut trees grew near decided that three stately black walnut trees is such a handsome wood that does not the base of our family’s vegetable garden, in our farmyard must be cut down. The rea- split, warp, or shrink. It has less recoil than and through the years, I would hear my son for their demise? Their nuts. any other species, and the satiny surface of Each September, the trees began shed- husband, Terry, muttering about how his black walnut does not irritate one’s hand. ding their seed capsules—avocado green vegetables would not grow well near this By 1795, high-quality black walnut trees globes about three inches round. The nut tree. Despite the characteristic allelopathic could no longer be found in New England husks drop to the ground and splay out in a trait of black walnut trees—they exude because of its extensive use. Today, the 50-foot diameter circle around the bottom substances that can suppress the growth active black walnut industry is centered in of the tree. We farmers know not to walk of other plants—it seemed the grass lawn the Midwest. More than 50 million pounds too close to the black walnut trees in the fall flourished well around the base of the trees! of nuts are harvested annually. because a fresh nut case falling from eighty The death knell for our three beauti- Our farm also lost three legacy white oak feet can give one quite a bonk on the head. ful black walnut trees was a consequence trees, due to old age and stress from the Our young grandchildren were paid a penny of guests walking to our farm’s wine tast- extreme drought of 2016. They were heav- a nut to pick them into large pails—their ing room, located in the former dairy barn, ily laden with acorns and just collapsed, one first moneymaking enterprise while learning and having to pass under them. Wine lovers by one, at the end of the summer. Sad- how to count into the hundreds. We don’t arrive in droves in the fall, and they were dened by the loss of these familiar native know why my father-in-law, Philip H. Jones, not enchanted by the falling dive bombs, trees that have lived on our farm much lon- planted these trees about 75 years ago, but the unexpected slipperiness of an array of ger than I have, I began pondering how to they have been pleasant trees in our yard, green “golf balls” in their path, nor the dark replace these old friends with new trees. I

20 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017

OBITUARIES want to replant heritage nut-bearing trees that would have been familiar to the northeastern American Indians, who once lived here and depended on a variety of gathered nuts for RICHARD A. BAUERFELD their winter survival. However, it seems native Richard Alfred Bauerfeld, 90, who served on the New England nut trees are becoming rare. Connecticut Forest & Park Association Board of Directors for a quarter century, died March 28 at Butternut: Food and Dye Meadow Ridge in Redding, where he had lived in Butternut trees are a species that were widely recent years. Mr. Bauerfeld helped plan the transi- used by the Native Americans and the Euro- tion of leadership following the retirement of long- pean settlers for foods and dyes. A close rela- time Executive Director John Hibbard in 2000. tive of the black walnut, the tree is also known Mr. Bauerfeld was a lifelong resident of Connect- as the white walnut. Butternuts, once husked icut, born and raised in Stamford (where he grad- and dried, are sweet and delicious and can be uated from St. Basil’s Prep), then lived in Cheshire, Redding, Branford eaten straight from the shell, raw, or cooked. for 46 years, and finally Redding again. He was an Eagle Scout, served in Alas, the species is on the verge of extinction the U.S. Navy during World War II, and graduated from the University in the wild because of a canker disease. Vigor- of Connecticut in 1950. He worked for more than 30 years at Southern ous efforts are being made in New England to New England Telephone Company, retiring as division operations man- preserve this native tree by experimental for- ager of eastern and central Connecticut. estry research organizations. Mr. Bauerfeld also served on the Redding Conservation Commission and the Branford Inland Wetlands Commission, which he founded and Chestnut and Hickory chaired. In 1995, he and his wife, Lee Sperry Bauerfeld, received the The tragic story of how Connecticut lost the Bronze Medal from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut. magnificent American chestnut tree in the early Mr. Bauerfeld and his wife were married for 66 years. He also leaves 20th century to an Asian fungus disease was his son, Rick Bauerfeld, of Wilton; his daughter, Bonnie Hataley, of related in an article I wrote a few years ago for Odessa, Florida; and three grandsons.A memorial service took place on this magazine (“A Yearning for Chestnuts,” April 9. Memorial donations may be directed to the Connecticut For- Fall 2014). (See also the President’s Message est & Park Association. on page 4.) Heroic efforts have been made by chestnut researchers to develop hybrids that would be resistant to the blight. Quite recently, there is a restrained enthusiasm for some prom- NED ZAGLIO ising hybrids, and they are currently being field Edmond S. Zaglio, a forester for the state of Connecticut for his entire tested in the Northeast. career, died December 16, 2016 at his home in Woodbridge, Virginia. Hickory trees provided another favored nut Mr. Zaglio was born in West Virginia, grew up in Manchester, Connect- of the Native Americans, and the hickory tree icut, and in 1967 graduated with a political science degree from Brown still grows throughout the eastern and central University, where he played on one of the only two undefeated soccer forests of the United States. Hickory trees are teams in Brown history. nicknamed the “pioneer tree” because their He served two tours with the 6th Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, in nuts provided a valuable food source to the the Vietnam War. He then earned his master of forestry from the Uni- new settlers and the wood is very hard and versity of Massachsuetts. He and his family lived in Torrington for many resistant, useful for tools, tool handles, and years. He leaves his wife of 45 years, Jeannette A. Zaglio; his son, Justin fences. In today’s world, with their large tap- of New York, New York; his daughter Stefanie Marchinkoski of Wood- roots, hickory trees will not lift up sidewalks bridge, Virginia; four grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, or blow over easily in windstorms. When fully Peter, and his sister, Laura. A memorial service took place in Manchester grown, they make stately shade trees. on January 7. Memorial donations may be directed to CFPA. When the fall comes, I plan to plant a couple shagbark hickories and some Chinese hybrid chestnut trees. I am figuring out the best places on the farm to plant them and deciding where to get healthy specimens to transplant. I am looking forward to planting the trees with my grandchildren and watching them all grow into maturity. Nostalgic tree memories bind a fam- ily together. Jean Crum Jones lives in Shelton with her farm- ing family.

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 21 TRY THIS HIKE

Paul Edwards starts up the stone steps.

DIANE FRIEND EDWARDS

come to an old water wheel pit, which had been part of a long-gone cheese box mill, and a stone wall. We couldn’t help wonder- ing why someone would build a mill on this steep hillside! Continuing on, the trail lev- els off a bit, crosses a wooden footbridge, cuts through a patch of mountain laurel (a native shrub that in June blooms with Con- necticut’s state flower), then heads down- hill before ascending again. More stone steps take you to a stone terrace at the base of a cliff whose face has a plaque honor- ing Henry Buck. At the overlook, enjoy the southerly view of the Farmington River Val- ley. In mid-April, we were surprised to see, on the most distant hill, a few snow-cov- ered slopes at Ski Sundown in New Hart- ford. Leaving the overlook, the trail heads down a short distance before making a sharp left turn and then ascending steeply. This climb passes over a ledge and between gla- HENRY BUCK TRAIL cial erratics—large boulders left behind when the ice retreated. I needed to use my hands A RUGGED, BUT SHORT AND VERY PRETTY, HIKE IN to scramble up here. (Not surprisingly, the Connecticut Walk Book West’s description AMERICAN LEGION STATE FOREST of this hike warns that this area is hazard- ous when wet or icy.) From here, the trail BY DIANE FRIEND EDWARDS cascading into little streams, a wooden foot- descends steeply, passing more erratics and bridge, cliffs, a broken boulder whose pieces crossing tiny streams, and finally reaches the hank goodness for trail work crews. This looked like a jigsaw puzzle, and logs laden road. Turn right and walk along the road is what I thought as my husband, Paul, with turkey-tail mushrooms. back to the trailhead. and I climbed upward on rock steps set Directions Tinto the hillside. Similar staircases made The Hike the going easier in several places along the The 2-mile Henry Buck Trail is one of From the junction of Routes 318 and 181 Henry Buck Trail, named for the man who Connecticut’s Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails. It in Pleasant Valley, go north on West River had designed it and overseen its creation begins and ends on West River Road, just Road for 2.5 miles. The trailhead, with a sign by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the above the banks of the West Branch Farm- and parking for four or five cars, is opposite 1930s. (He was also the vice president of ington River, in Barkhamsted’s Pleasant Val- the old stone bridge abutments that once the Connecticut Forest & Park Association ley section. A 0.3-mile walk along the road supported a footbridge across the river. from 1928 to 1930.) brings you back to the trailhead, making for From northwestern Connecticut: From Back at the trailhead, where the land rises a 2.3-mile hike. Winsted, take Route 8 north to Route 20 abruptly from the road, our initial reaction The trail rises gradually on the diagonal (Riverton Road) east. At West River Road had been: “Well, this starts out steep!” But line across the hill, then levels off in a glen (just before the river), turn right and drive then we saw that the trail cut diagonally where you need to pick your way around 1.4 miles, passing the first sign for the Henry across the hill. “Not so bad,” I said to Paul. rocks and tree roots. The trail then heads Buck Trail, to the second trail sign opposite Not bad, indeed. In fact, delightful. The steeply uphill, following a stream, veering the bridge abutments. trail goes up the convenient stone steps and away from it and then back again. Soon some Diane Friend Edwards is a writer and editor occasionally follows a more level course of the CCC’s rock steps appear, improv- who has written this column for several years. through switchbacks. We passed boulders ing the footing (and minimizing erosion). She also proofreads this magazine. She and her cloaked in moss and ferns, small waterfalls About 0.8 mile from the trailhead, you will husband, Paul, live in Harwinton.

22 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 BOOK REVIEWS

in the New Haven and Meriden areas became enduring American THE TRAPROCK icons when reproduced by Currier and Ives and others on calendars, LANDSCAPES ceramics, and household goods. Contemporary artists remain ener- gized by these ridges, as the work of Mr. Pagini evidences. OF NEW ENGLAND This book surveys the many values of traprock ridges, and for additional information there is an excellent bibliography. Although By Peter M. LeTourneau with photographs there are some maps, they are small and not very detailed. I found by Robert Pagini. Middletown, Connecticut: myself wanting to know more about where various places were in Wesleyan University Press, 2017. 233 pages relation to others. The photographs are spectacular but an embar- rassment of riches. There are so many that they sometimes disrupt BY DAVID K. LEFF the flow of the text. However, there is compensation in that almost Traprock ridges have long inspired artists, protected rare plants and all illustrations contain detailed and interesting captions that add animals, and drawn adventurers. Their dramatic cliffs and irregular valuable information. crests host some of the oldest and most popular of the Blue-Blazed Mr. LeTorneau and Mr. Pagini deserve much credit for their impas- Hiking Trails. Now there is a book worthy of their significance. sioned plea in the final chapter for the significance of these traprock Peter LeTourneau’s engaging writing and Robert Pagini’s vivid landscapes and the need for further protection. Given the book’s photographs are well matched in a book connecting nature to cul- combination of poetic prose and images, it would take effort not to ture. It’s a joyful exploration that covers geology; climate; art and be convinced. Every time I sat down to read, I found myself eager architecture; ecology; history; mythology; botany; wildlife; recre- to take a hike. ation; and human uses of the land, rock, and water. Despite the David K. Leff is the book review editor of Connecticut Woodlands, au- work’s focus on the ridges, they are not left in isolation. The author thor of books about landscape and adventure, and the poet-in-residence puts them in context, relating them to the Connecticut River Val- of the New England Trail. He lives in Collinsville. ley in which they are found. Mr. LeTourneau and Mr. Pagini take us on a journey along the volcanic ridges “with their barren windswept summits and deep rock- lined ravines, savanna-like meadows and cool broadleaf forests, and THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES: splashing cascades and sparkling lakes.” They trace the fiery mol- ten origins of these distinctive geological features in three succes- WHAT THEY FEEL, sive ancient lava flows. We learn that the termtraprock derives from the Swedish trappa, which is said to mean steps or stairs, a refer- HOW THEY COMMUNICATE— ence to the angular fractures of the rock that form what appears to DISCOVERIES FROM A be a series of successively set back block-like treads. The cliffs, sum- mits, and talus slopes of fallen rock all have distinctive and unusual SECRET WORLD microclimates and habitats that harbor some creatures and plants not commonly found elsewhere in the area. Among the photographs By Peter Wohlleben. are a peregrine falcon, pickerel frog, marbled salamander, copper- Vancouver, British Columbia: head snake, prickly pear cactus, and various types of lichen and moss Greystone Books, 2016. 288 pages. whose beauty surprises. BY ROBERT M. RICARD The book also documents significant human relationships with the area from the ongoing use of quarried and crushed traprock for Every so often, a book comes along challenging scientific dogma. road base, concrete aggregate, and other uses, to the proliferation of Most simply fade away, but a few change the way we see and think. summit tourist buildings and antenna farms. In these pages, we dis- After much wrangling and debate, if enough scientists become pro- cover ruins of long-gone structures and familiar ones like the Heu- ponents and supporters of the thesis proposed, the outcome may be blein Tower on Talcott Mountain, the Prospect House on Mount what Thomas Kuhn, a physicist and philosopher of science, coined Holyoke, and Castle Craig on East Peak. as “a paradigm shift.” Water captured among the ridges has long provided potable sup- Peter Wohlleben has caused just such a sensation. In The Hid- plies. At relatively high elevations, with fairly impermeable bed- den Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discov- rock and water filtered through forests and rocky slopes, more than eries From a Secret World, the German forest ranger has been pop- 40 former or still-active reservoirs exist between New Haven and ularizing what has been called tree and forest behavioral science. Northampton. First published in German and recently translated into English, the The ridges have also served as inspiration to great artists. In the author has revised or enhanced the centuries-old humanization of 19th century, Thomas Cole kicked off the Hudson River School of nature using highly anthropomorphic language to great effect. His art with his painting of the Connecticut River oxbow from Mount book is an international best seller, and he is in demand for hun- Holyoke. Frederic Church’s image of West Rock (displayed at the dreds of appearances. New Britain Museum of American Art) is among his most famous Mr. Wohlleben is a professionally trained, experienced forest ranger paintings. George H. Durrie’s lithographs that included traprock hills and comes from the German intensive forest management tradition

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 23 of even-aged forests commonly planted with species not native to Because it presents trees in humanizing language, I am not a fan of Germany. He eventually laments this and prefers the forests of the Mr. Wohlleben’s book. Maybe in 50 years or so I will be cited as one sort found in New England. That is, here we live with a diverse for- of those scientists referenced as a failed, unimaginative critic after it est composed of multiple species of wide-ranging ages, growing in has been accepted as mainstream science. I will say that the author’s association with great areas of plant and animal species, including explanation of the science of tree growth and biology is sound. It is those in the forest floor and subsurface. Professionally, Mr. Wohlle- well worth the adventure of reading this well-written and well-pre- ben moves away from the world of intensive forestry to small-scale, sented topical book. low-to-minimum-impact forestry. He also experiences anxiety and Robert M. Ricard is a senior extension educator for the University of depression, seeks treatment, and ultimately finds solace in the won- Connecticut Cooperative Extension. derment of a more natural forest. His accomplishment is the humanized language he employs. In a chapter entitled “Street Kids,” for example, he posits why giant CLASSIC ENVIRONMENTAL BOOKS redwoods planted in Europe never get as tall as those growing in First of a continuing series their native Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Mr. Wohlleben claims their early growth is influenced by the fact that these trees are BY ERIC LEHMAN orphans, that these redwoods were planted in city parks by “princes and politicians as exotic trophies.” He adds that what is missing for THE NEW EXPLORATION: A PHILOSOPHY OF REGIONAL PLANNING these artificially planted trees are relatives. They are “indeed only chil- dren, growing up here in Europe far from their home and without By Benton MacKaye. First published in 1928. their parents. No uncles, no aunts, no cheerful nursery school—no, Born in Stamford in 1879, forester and author Benton MacKaye they have lived all their lives out on a lonely limb.” is best remembered today for his groundbreaking 1921 proposal Using fan favorite language, rather than scientific jargon, is not for the Appalachian Trail. This volume takes that idea to the next new. Expressing science in non-technical language has always been level, arguing for the necessity of planning civilization in harmony a good way to teach, convince, and motivate people. It is common with the natural world. Living in the populous Northeast, MacKaye for foresters to ask people to “think like a tree” to help them under- knew that conflict between man and nature would continue to grow. stand tree growth. The influential forester and wildlife biologist Aldo Responding to the multiplication of cars and roads, he offers new Leopold, for example, famously asked us to “think like a moun- methods for controlling them, and his proposals for “open ways” in tain” in A Sand County Almanac (Ballantine Books, 1966) to shift cities seems prescient. our view of forestry and wildlife management. Reading the Forested MacKaye makes a case for developing our environment by synthe- Landscape: A Natural History of New England (Countryman Press, sizing industry, art, and nature. He also reminds us, “All the pos- 1997) and Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to the Forested Landscapes sibilities of love, adventure, and enjoyment narrow themselves into (Countryman Press, 2010), by Tom Wessels, are wonderful exam- the routine of a merely busy existence.” We need recreation to live ples of books intended to teach and motivate us about forest ecol- rather than just exist, and not just the “decreation” of passively con- ogy using largely non-scientific language. suming other peoples’ stories. We need to get outside, to interact Interesting, too, is that Mr. Wohlleben is pulling along with his with nature, and to create our own stories. It is a message even more book and interviews forest scientists who have been studying tree and important today than when it was written almost 100 years ago. forest communication for years. For example, Dr. Suzanne Simard, University of British Columbia, is a renowned forest behaviorist who has studied the “wood wide web” for more than 30 years. In 1997, A NATURALIST BUYS AN OLD FARM part of her PhD dissertation was published in Nature, no small feat. By Edwin Way Teale. First published in 1974. Her specialty and breakthroughs have been in the world of mycor- rhiza, the symbiotic association of the mycelium of a fungus with When Edwin and Nellie Teale moved to rural Hampton, Connect- the roots of trees. Dr. Simard’s work is without a doubt rooted in icut, from Long Island, he was already a renowned naturalist, mak- the scientific tradition and method. She has influenced a generation ing his reputation by combining travel and nature writing. His books of tree biologists to better understand the belowground ecology of sometimes depicted long automotive rambles across North America, trees and forests. but at the property they named Trail Wood, he found nature within Dr. Simard has more recently been engaged in popularizing tree walking distance, exploring these 156 acres with a careful eye. This and forest behavior and communication by contributing to such pro- relaxed chronicle of these backyard explorations could be the best grams as David Suzuki’s Nature of Things documentary film, Smarty of his 31 books. Plants. Here Dr. Simard talks about her research on tree-to-tree com- Teale is a tolerant property owner, allowing local beavers to build munication through interlinking belowground fungal networks. The dams and create a home for themselves and a few hundred frogs. One gist of it is that trees form a mutualistic symbiosis with mycorrhi- night he hears the beavers splashing and waits patiently until moon- zal fungi and become linked together by a belowground superhigh- rise, finally spotting his woodland neighbors patching a muddy dike, way made of fungi. She explains that big, old “mother trees” are the while fireflies drift above the sparkling water. A small earthquake goes hubs of the network, and that they shuttle carbon, nutrients, and unnoticed while he watches. It’s one of many sublime moments that water directly to the surrounding trees and regenerating seedlings Teale finds just a few steps from his door, and a reminder that the through the networking fungi. same adventures wait for us. We only have to wander outside and look.

| CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2017 2424 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | FALL 2014 FORESTER’S NOTES

BE A GOOD WITNESS From top, a dirt road in a state forest torn up See vandals or other illegal activity? by four-wheel-drive joyriders. Call the authorities A state forest boundary sign riddled with bul- let holes. BY JERRY MILNE Flower boxes dumped after their contents were delivered. (Connecticut EnCon Police traced eaders of this magazine value the Con- the culprit by the return address on the boxes.) necticut state parks and forests because CONNECTICUT DEEP R they like to hike, watch birds, hunt, fish, cut firewood, mountain bike, kayak, dispatch for its environmental conservation, or appreciate the outdoors in many other or EnCon, police. Get a good description ways. Those of us who work for the Depart- of the individual. Don’t confront anyone, ment of Energy and Environmental Protec- but remember what he or she looks like and tion Bureau of Natural Resources share those what clothes he or she was wearing. Maybe same passions. We studied fisheries, wildlife, you see a vehicle with a trailer unloading forestry, and natural resources in school. It’s dirt bikes or ATVs to ride in the state for- not just a job, it’s a way of life. est. Call 860-424-3333 with a description But it seems that a conservation ethic including make, model, license plate, and is lacking in some individuals in our state. color of the vehicles. Judging from the many emails, phone calls, Maybe you pass a truck filled with con- and Facebook posts we receive from con- struction debris parked at a trailhead on a cerned people, this problem is getting worse. quiet state forest road. Write down the make, Lands managed by DEEP are being ruined model, and color of the vehicle. Take a pic- by people who seem to enjoy destroying ture if you can do so safely. On the way back, property held for the common good. Gates the truck is gone but there is a pile of roof- ripped out of the ground, signs shot up, pic- ing shingles. Call 860-424-3333 and pro- nic tables burned, roads torn up on purpose vide the dispatcher with the information. by four-wheel-drive vehicles, dumped gar- Some people are afraid to report a vio- bage, illegal trails, brush fires, the list is end- lation because they don’t want to give out less. It costs DEEP thousands and thousands their names. You do not have to provide of dollars to repair damage caused by van- your name. It might be helpful for EnCon dals each year. police to follow up, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. If You See Illegal Activity, Call Help DEEP keep our lands beautiful for How can you keep our DEEP lands generations to come. Be a good witness. from being ruined? Be a good witness. If Jerry Milne is a forester for the Connecticut you see an illegal activity on DEEP land, Department of Energy and Environmental call 860-424-3333, DEEP’s 24-hour radio Protection.

THE HARVEST OF A QUIET EYE By Odell Shepard. First published in 1927.

Born in Illinois, Odell Shepard taught English for decades at He tells us of his “ever-deepening love of Connecticut,” which Trinity College, editing the works of Thoreau and Longfellow, “shows nearly everywhere a beauty that invites my collaboration, writing a Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Bronson Alcott, and seems to need my human comment—a beauty, in short, that and penning a small Connecticut classic. He follows Thoreau’s can be harvested only by a quiet eye.” In later life, Shepard became model and records a two-week walking tour of northern Connecti- lieutenant governor of the state, and his musings on history, reli- cut, from Brooklyn in the east to Salisbury in the far northwest. gion, and economy informed public policy. We can only hope that He meets tramps, woodsmen, and small-town politicos. He en- future leaders will understand his values of solitude, of quiet, and counters goldfinches, hawks, and butterflies. He muses under elm of connection with the natural world. trees, wanders through the dark forests, and splashes along little Eric D. Lehman of Hamden is author of Afoot in Connecticut (Homebound rivers, enjoying the silence before paved roads changed the land- Publications, 2013) and several other books of both nonfiction and fiction. scape forever.

SUMMER 2017 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 25 FALL 2014 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 25 ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE

Why honeybees are suffering and what beekeepers are doing about it

BY BUD GAVITT The Natural Resources Defense Coun- cil, an environmental action organiza- lmost half of the honeybees raised tion, notes that this class of insecticides in Connecticut, 48 percent, died is a key factor in the loss of bee colonies. A last year, a shocking statistic that The NRDC, with 2.4 million members, is matches the struggles of these important seeking to stop Bayer, the German chem- pollinating and honey-producing insects ical giant, from selling this insecticide in around the United States. Nationwide, the United States. Other makers include 44 percent of honeybee colonies died Monsanto and Syngenta. Both Bayer and between April 2015 and April 2016. The Monsanto have projects underway on White House reports that the number of ways to improve the health of honeybees. managed honeybee colonies in this coun- More than 90 percent of the nation’s try has declined from 4 million in 1970 corn, 90 percent of canola, and 50 per- to 2.5 million today. cent of soybeans start from seeds treated State entomologist Kirby Stafford of with this bee toxic insecticide, as are many the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment plants sold at home and garden retailers. Station submitted a 60-page pollinator Before banning neonicotinoids, the protection plan to the Environmental control desired might be better man- Committee in the Connecticut General ADOBE STOCK PHOTO agement. One option is only using neo- Assembly. He says that 50 percent of the to destroy a hive in 18 to 24 months. nicotinoid treatments in fields that have honeybees along the East Coast perished So far, scientists have been unable to a history of pests instead of applying it last year. develop a good effective treatment to to every field. This widely used insecti- Naturally, the problems greatly worry control the mites. Controlling this mite cide is under review by the U.S. Envi- the 1,643 registered beekeepers with would increase honeybee health by 70 ronmental Protection Agency. 7,995 hives in Connecticut. “These are to 80 percent. It is recommended, before using any mostly backyard hobbyists,” says state pesticide, to read and follow directions apiary inspector Mark Creighton. Tracy Ways to Control Destructive Mites on the label. Don’t apply pesticide when and Jim Kelly, who took up beekeeping One way of controlling these mites is bees are foraging during the day in a a decade ago in their spare time, report to breed for a hygienic hive. Selectively treated area. Instead, apply it in the late that last year only 150 pounds of honey breeding for hygienic bees will recog- afternoon once bees have stopped for- were produced from their dozen hives nize sick bees and remove them from aging. Honeybees are generally active operated as Autowork Apiary at two about an hour after sunrise until an hour locations in Lebanon and Willimantic. the hive. This cleaning helps break the before sunset. The previous year, their hives produced mites’ reproductive cycle and reduces the Beekeepers are advised to avoid spray- 870 pounds. spread of disease in the hive. ing a pesticide to blooming crops in the Mr. Kelly says he gives away much of Another option to improve honeybee spring. This is the greatest risk to hon- the honey produced from his bees to health is to have more diversity in the eybees. Beekeepers should notify neigh- family members, relatives, and friends. habitat. This would enable honeybees boring beekeepers if they are applying a The rest is sold. (The going price for a to have a food source from early spring pesticide, and leave a buffer between the pound of honey is between $8 and $15.) to late fall. Without diversity, beekeep- application area and the hive. But more important than their pro- ers are forced to supplement the diet of Earthjustice, the first and largest non- duction of honey at small farms is the bees by feeding them sugar water or corn profit environmental law organization in role honeybees play in pollinating one- syrup to keep a colony alive in the winter. the country, continues to oppose the use third of the nation’s crops, from apples Pesticides are another contributing of this insecticide by taking legal action and blueberries to watermelon and zuc- factor to honeybee losses. One fam- against the EPA. Earthjustice’s intent is chini. In addition to fruits and vegeta- ily of pesticides, the neonicotinoids, to achieve better protection for honey- bles, bees pollinate flowers in millions of can be highly toxic and will kill bees. bees, beekeepers, farmworkers, and chil- home gardens across America. Some uses are much less risky than oth- dren at both the state and federal level. Mr. Creighton says that the num- ers. Chronic exposure to this insecticide ber one killer of honeybees is the Var- could be making it harder for bee colo- Bud Gavitt was agriculture writer and roa mite, which causes infection as well nies to breed, fight off disease, and sur- editor for nearly 31 years at the University as transmits viruses. The mites are able vive in winter. of Connecticut.

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