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Connecticut Forests in a Changing World? from Global to Local

So is titled Connecticut's fifth Statewide Forest Forum. Be sure to look at the agenda and list of speakers – there's not a session you'd want to miss. Hope to see you there!

The 5th annual Connecticut Statewide Forest Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 24 at the University of Connecticut Rome Ballroom in Storrs. Complete details and registration information are attached, and are available at www.ctwoodlands.org.

Connecticut's Forest Forums were created to enable anyone interested in forest resources, regardless of background or experience, to come together, share ideas and work towards solutions to our forest-related problems. Past Forums have highlighted such issues as forest sustainability in an urbanizing environment, blending science and policy, and valuing forest ecosystem services.

This year, we build on these themes by looking at Connecticut in the context of critical global and national issues. A fascinating look at the complex and rapidly changing global forces shaping Connecticut's forests will be followed by an overview of national forest policy, including the 2008 Farm Bill and its impacts on Connecticut. We then turn to the state level and a new state forest resource assessment which is in progress as we meet. The results will produce a strategy to guide future use of state and federal forest funding. The morning concludes with a fresh look at forest ecosystem services, followed by ample time for questions.

The afternoon begins with a roundtable session where participants can add their ideas to the developing statewide strategy and plan. Three concurrent sessions follow. The Private Forest Stewardship session delves into key current issues including climate change, carbon sequestration and details of the 2008 Farm Bill programs. Forest Research and Forest Health provide four reports on research underway in the Highlands of western Connecticut. Urban & Community Forestry is examined in the context of the latest Smart Growth initiatives and Connecticut's shifting political environment.

The $50 registration fee includes all breaks, lunch and handout materials. Questions and suggestions may be directed to Steve Broderick, Forester and Program Director at the Goodwin Forest Conservation Education Center, at 860-455-9534 or gro.sdnaldoowtc@kciredorbs.

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Thomas E. Worthley
Assistant Extension Professor
Middlesex County Extension Center
1066 Saybrook Rd.
Haddam, CT 06438-0070
phone: 860-345-5232
fax: 860-345-3357

2009 Forest Forum Brochure [1800kb]

Bill Adamsen
President, CT Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation

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Lucinda’s got a tree to introduce you to 🌳👋
Meet even more trees at tacf.org/meet-the-trees/
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8 CommentsComment on Facebook

This is D2-19-136 if you'd like to view it on our webpage!

Great video, keep them coming.

Great job guys!

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Reminder! TACF's 2025 American Chestnut Photo Contest is going on now, with a new, extended deadline!

The first-place winner will have their photo featured on the cover of a future issue of Chestnut magazine and receive a one-year TACF membership, along with a T-shirt and hat. The second-place winner will receive a T-shirt and sticker, and the third-place winner will receive a sticker. All winners will be recognized in a future issue of Chestnut.

Visit tacf.org/2025-photo-contest/ for all the details.
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Reminder! TACFs 2025 American Chestnut Photo Contest is going on now, with a new, extended deadline! The first-place winner will have their photo featured on the cover of a future issue of Chestnut magazine and receive a one-year TACF membership, along with a T-shirt and hat. The second-place winner will receive a T-shirt and sticker, and the third-place winner will receive a sticker. All winners will be recognized in a future issue of Chestnut.Visit https://tacf.org/2025-photo-contest/ for all the details.

Celebrate the legacy of Rex Mann—forester, storyteller, and passionate champion for the American chestnut—with this limited edition Leave Tracks t-shirt.

Rex devoted his life to restoring forests and inspiring others to care for the land. Now, you can honor his memory and help carry his mission forward.

🌳 100% of the proceeds from every shirt go to The American Chestnut Foundation (THANK YOU!), supporting the work Rex believed in so deeply.

👉 Pre-order now through August 2: scottmann.com/store/Leave-Tracks-In-Honor-of-Rex-Mann-PREORDER-p768130686

Let’s keep walking the trail Rex helped blaze.
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Celebrate the legacy of Rex Mann—forester, storyteller, and passionate champion for the American chestnut—with this limited edition Leave Tracks t-shirt.Rex devoted his life to restoring forests and inspiring others to care for the land. Now, you can honor his memory and help carry his mission forward.🌳 100% of the proceeds from every shirt go to The American Chestnut Foundation (THANK YOU!), supporting the work Rex believed in so deeply.👉 Pre-order now through August 2: https://scottmann.com/store/Leave-Tracks-In-Honor-of-Rex-Mann-PREORDER-p768130686Let’s keep walking the trail Rex helped blaze.

We’re excited to share a new animated video explaining TACF’s RGS program! ... See MoreSee Less

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1 CommentComment on Facebook

Transgenic American Chestnuts are still a much better option. The product of this method will always be a hybrid and that should not be the goal.

One of the greatest ecological disasters the US has ever seen. Chestnut blight wiped out the American chestnut tree in less than 50 years.⁠
A tree that once made up nearly 25% of the eastern forests was reduced to a functionally extinct species.⁠

The Asian fungus Cryphonectria parasitica was accidentally introduced into the United States in the late 1800s. While a few diseased chestnuts were noted in the 1880s and 90s, it wasn't until 1904 that the pathogen was identified in New York City. From that point, the blight spread rapidly. By 1950 the entire range had been consumed.⁠

The fungus causes cankers that spread around the trunk of the tree, girdling it and killing everything above ground. Many root systems still survive today and continue to send up shoots, but these also eventually succumb to blight. Because American chestnuts rarely survive long enough to reproduce, the species is considered functionally extinct.⁠

The American Chestnut Foundation is working to develop blight-resistant American chestnuts that can be used to restore this iconic tree to its native range. Learn more at tacf.org/about-us (link in bio)
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145 CommentsComment on Facebook

I think I may have found an American Chestnut tucked away in a backyard

Incredibly important work…it was such a travesty for our forests!

The trees seem to still be intact outside their range in isolated areas. Theres a few large ones here in central Michigan on a peninsula and again on the Leelenau peninsula in the nw lower peninsula. I keep seeing people chime in about adult trees here and there. Seems like there's hope!

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