Forests As Life Tree History, Building Local, and Blueberry Traditions
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CONNECTICUT Woodlands FORESTS AS LIFE TREE HISTORY, BUILDING LOCAL, AND BLUEBERRY TRADITIONS The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association Summer 2014 Volume 79 No. 2 The ConnectiCuT ForesT & Park assoCiaTion, inC. OFFICERS PRESIDENT, ERIC LUKINGBEAL, Granby VICE-PRESIDENT, WILLIAM D. BRECK, Killingworth VICE-PRESIDENT, GEOFFREY MEISSNER, Plantsville VICE-PRESIDENT, DAVID PLATT, Higganum VICE-PRESIDENT, STARR SAYRES, East Haddam TREASURER, JAMES W. DOMBRAUSKAS, New Hartford SECRETARY, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford FORESTER, THOMAS J. DEGNAN, JR., East Haddam DIRECTORS RUSSELL BRENNEMAN, Westport ROBERT BUTTERWORTH, Deep River STARLING W. CHILDS, Norfolk R. RICHARD CROCE, Killingworth RUTH CUTLER, Ashford THOMAS J. DEGNAN, JR., East Haddam CAROLINE DRISCOLL, New London ASTRID T. HANZALEK, Suffield DAVID LAURETTI, Bloomfield MICHAEL LECOURS, Farmington DIANE FRIEND EDWARDS DAVID K. LEFF, Collinsville SCOTT LIVINGSTON, Bolton The Mattatuck Trail crosses a small dam at the outflow end of Beaver Pond. See “Try This Hike” JEFF LOUREIRO, Canton on page 20. ERIN McGRATH, WesCFPA LAUREN L. McGREGOR, Hamden JEFFREy O’DONNELL, Bristol RAYMOND P. RADIKAS, Glastonbury Connecting People to the Land Annual Membership ALEX J. SIEBERT, WesCFPA RICHARD WHITEHOUSE, Glastonbury Our mission: The Connecticut Forest & Park Individual $ 35 Association protects forests, parks, walking HONORARY DIRECTORS Family $ 50 trails and open spaces for future generations by GORDON L. ANDERSON, St. Johns, FL HARROL W. BAKER, JR., Bolton connecting people to the land. CFPA directly Supporting $ 100 RICHARD A. BAUERFELD, Redding involves individuals and families, educators, Benefactor $ 250 GEORGE M. CAMP, Middletown community leaders and volunteers to enhance ANN M. CUDDY, Ashland, OR and defend Connecticut’s rich natural heritage. PRUDENCE P. CUTLER, Farmington CFPA is a private, non-profit organization that SAMUEL G. DODD, North Andover, MA Life Membership $ 2500 GRACE W. ELLSWORTH, Haddam relies on members and supporters to carry out JOHN E. HIBBARD, Hebron its mission. JOSEPH HICKEY, Wethersfield Corporate Membership Our vision: We envision Connecticut as a JEAN CRUM JONES, Shelton PHILIP H. JONES, JR., Shelton place of scenic beauty whose cities, suburbs, Club / Non-profit $ 75 EDWARD A. RICHARDSON, Glastonbury and villages are linked by a network of parks, Sustaining $ 100 L. P. SPERRY, JR., Middlebury forests, and trails easily accessible for all people SALLY L. TAYLOR, Mystic to challenge the body and refresh the spirit. We Landmark $ 250 SIDNEY VAN ZANDT, Noank picture a state where clean water, timber, farm Stewardship $ 500 STAFF fresh foods, and other products of the land make TRAILS PROMOTION MANAGER & ENGAGEMENT ADVOCATE, a significant contribution to our economic and Leadership $ 1000 JENNIFER BENNER, Rockfall cultural well-being. EDUCATION DIRECTOR, LORI PARADIS BRANT, Rockfall TRAIL STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR, CLARE CAIN, Niantic EVENTS AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, Connecticut Woodlands ELIZABETH FOSSETT, Meriden MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING DIRECTOR, Published quarterly by the MARTY GOSSELIN, Durham Connecticut Forest & Park Association, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ERIC HAMMERLING, West Hartford 16 Meriden Road, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, JAMES W. LITTLE, Hebron LAND CONSERVATION DIRECTOR, Rockfall, CT 06481-2961 LINDSAY MICHEL, North Haven Indexed in the Connecticut Periodical Index, Printed on 60% Recycled, ADVANCEMENT ASSISTANT, KARA MURPHY, Guilford ISSN 00106257 FSC and Green-e Certified Paper FOREST & PROGRAM DIRECTOR, GOODWIN FOREST CENTER, JAMES PARDA, Coventry Telephone: 860-346-TREE OFFICE MANAGER, TERESA PETERS, Durham Fax: 860-347-7463. EDITOR, CHRISTINE WOODSIDE E-mail address: [email protected] GRAPHIC DESIGNER, KAREN WARD World Wide Web site: ctwoodlands.org 2 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | SUMMER 2014 CONNECTICUT Woodlands The Magazine of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association SUMMER 2014 Volume 79 No.2 CONTENTS FEATURES DEPARTMENTS FORESTS AS LIFE 4 PRESIDEnt’S MESSAGE. Worst enemy of the future? 6 WITNESS TREES, FOSSIL POLLEN, Irresponsible development. AND OTHER INSIGHTS. By Eric Lukingbeal. How Connecticut’s forests have changed from colonial to 5 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE. modern times. CFPA is great for your health. By Edward K. Faison. By Eric Hammerling. 11 EAT, BUILD, AND BUY LOCAL. 13 CFPA IN THE COMMUNITY. In the midst of a buy-local farming WesCFPA: Meet CFPA’s Wesleyan movement, UConn researches student partners. Plus, a pull-out Connecticut’s relationship to local map of the Blue-Blazed wood products. Hiking Trails. By Nathaniel Cyrus. 20 TRY THIS HIKE. Exploring a wildlife sanctuary along the Mattatuck Trail. 16 The UNINVITED BEETLE. By Diane Friend Edwards. Now that the emerald ash borer is here, the strategy is to hold it back. 22 FROM THE LAND. By Daniel Candella. Grunts, slumps, and cobblers: Cooking with blueberries, New England natives. 18 FOR SALE—YOUR PARKS AND By Jean Crum Jones. FORESTS? The Council on Environmental 24 FROM THE ARCHIVES Quality details, in a surprising report, The history of a cedar swamp. several proposals during the past three By James L. Goodwin, introduced by years to transfer or exchange state James Parda. land, including state parks and wildlife areas. What’s going on? 26 OBITUARY. By Maschal Mohiuddin. Larry Green. On the Cover: The artist Frederic Church’s romantic Correction: The article “Exploring the Old rendering of what Thomas Hooker saw Connecticut Path” (spring) said that David when he traveled from Cambridge, Raczkowski, aka “NipMuck Dave,” coordinates Massachusetts, to Hartford in 1636. the annual Nipmuck Marathon on the Nipmuck PUBLIC DOMAIN/HANGS IN WADSWORTH ATHANEUM Trail. Although Mr. Raczkowski started the marathon, it’s now directed by the Shenipset Striders running club, which, Mr. Raczkowski writes, does an outstanding job. “I continue to help out that race by maintaining that trail for CFPA to race running standards,” he said. SUMMER 2014 | CONNECTICUT WOODLANDS | 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Worst enemy of the future? Irresponsible development BY ERIC LUKINGBEAL FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, THE SCIENTISTS ASSUMED TEMPERATURES IN 50 YEARS hat will Con- WOULD INCREASE 4 DEGREES F, AND AVERAGE ANNUAL PRECIPITATION WOULD necticut look like in 50 INCREASE BETWEEN 5 AND 7 PERCENT. W years? Climate change, assumes that high food prices and reliance economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the development, energy, on oil drive up interest in biomass for energy. environment.” agriculture, and for- It lays out the related need to clear land for The Key Findings section ranks the forest est policy will all play agriculture so that food and energy needs and infrastructure scenario first in benefits a part. It’s hard to say what will happen. As can be met locally. Finally, forests as infra- to people and nature. It protects more than the Danish physicist Niels Bohr said, “Pre- structure assumes that forests are actively half a million acres of priority forest habitat diction is always difficult, especially about managed and conserved, with an empha- and limits fragmentation. (Priority habitat is the future.” sis on conserving forests as a source of low- defined as extending more than one kilome- But scientists in Massachusetts have cost carbon storage, renewable energy, local ter from any nonhabitat edge). It supports taken a stab at coming up with some edu- wood products, clean water, and habitat. increased local wood production. It allows cated guesses. Earlier this year, eight natu- The scenarios were scored for how well nearly the same amount of development as ral resource professionals, in collaboration they achieved specific benefits: total for- the recent trends scenario, but two-thirds is with Harvard Forest, published Changes to est area, conserved forest area, developed clustered development. the Land: Four Scenarios for the Future of area, timber harvest, farmland, harvested The most striking finding is that over 50 the Massachusetts Landscape (Harvard Forest, wood, high-value tree species, carbon in years, development has a greater impact on Harvard University, 2014). The four scenar- live trees, impervious cover, annual water carbon storage and water quality than cli- ios used different numbers for land develop- runoff, nutrient export, priority forest habi- mate change does. Climate change will affect ment, timber harvesting, farmland expan- tat conserved, and small forest patches. One forest composition and growth because of sion, and forest conservation. For climate could argue about this list, but keep in mind higher temperatures and increased rainfall. change, the scientists assumed temperatures Gaylord Nelson’s observation, “The global The report concludes that Massachusetts in 50 years would increase 4 degrees F, and needs to do three things to get the full ben- average annual precipitation would increase efits of its forests. First, recommit to land between 5 and 7 percent. THE KEY FINDINGS SECTION RANKS conservation (increase funding, offer tax Connecticut and Massachusetts both have incentives to land owners). Second, redou- high population density. Connecticut is the THE FOREST AND INFRASTRUCTURE ble land-use planning and policy (higher fourth most densely populated state; Massa- residential densities; clustered, mixed-use, chusetts is the third. Both states have seen a SCENARIO FIRST IN BENEFITS TO PEOPLE and reuse near cities and town centers; town return of the forest during the past century. adoption of natural resource zoning; state- Both still have significant forest