Project Overview

With the advocacy of the Town Council, the Community Development Office applied for and received funding through the DEEP Community Forestry Grant Program to support the Glastonbury Forest Inventory Project. This town-wide research and mapping project is intended to inform the development of a future forest management plan. Forest management plans guide decisions about how to protect, sustain, and utilize forest resources. In this instance, the forest management plan will focus on Town-owned Forest lands in particular.

In January of 2024, DEEP awarded the Town with a $30,000 grant with a match requirement to be met through funding and staff services. This spring, the Town administered a Request for Qualifications process and selected Mosaic Eco-Solutions to conduct the forest inventory project work.

Between the months of August and September 2024, Mosaic Eco-Solutions performed field work to assess the composition and health of Town-owned forests. Such efforts focused on approximately 1,500 acres of selected open space parcels as depicted in the project map linked below. The forester assigned to this project, Nathaniel Gosselin (pictured at left), collected data on the selected parcels of Town-owned land, some of which are adjacent to private residences. (Work included parking and accessing parcels in areas not marked for public access, therefore Mr. Gosselin carried a letter authorizing his access for the purposes of executing this project.) The field work concluded at the end of September 2024.

Town of Glastonbury – Open Space Parcels Selected for Forest Inventory Project 2024

Community Survey

As part of this project, the Town is seeking public input to determine and prioritize the use of Town-owned land and forests throughout Glastonbury. Citizen feedback can be submitted through a community survey which will be available for input through December 2024. (Note, the survey was originally slated to close at the end of September, but has been extended through calendar year end.) Data collected through this process will help inform future Town actions and may support additional grant funding. To assist with this initiative, community members are invited and encouraged to contribute comments regarding how you like to use the selected public and forested spaces. We are seeking to inform the forestry evaluation with what is important to you, your friends, and your family and ultimately focus future efforts accordingly. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete, and your opinion and participation are greatly appreciated!

To complete the survey, please click the link or survey button below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQE-THT3V6Mlv-IXCDl30N98YpczQ9Rnc1lSiZLQ2Qf3SgSQ/viewform

Public Information Presentations – Tentative Schedule

To keep the community informed of project progress, the Town is planning to host public presentations on the dates below. These meetings are open to the public and you are welcome and encouraged to attend. As of this writing, these dates are tentative and subject to change. This page will be updated to confirm meeting times as we approach each event date. Please click on the meeting dates below to view more information.

August 8 @ 6:30pm - Conservation Commission - Project Overview - CONFIRMED

October 10 @ 6:30pm - Conservation Commission  - Initial Field Study Findings - CONFIRMED

December 10 @ 7:00pm - Town Council - Presentation of Final Report - TENTATIVE

December 12  @ 6:30pm - Conservation Commission - Presentation of Final Report - TENTATIVE

Subscribe to Receive Project Updates

If you wish to receive real-time project updates via email, please subscribe to our eNotification system. Visit the eNotify web page and subscribe or update your preferences to include the "Forest Inventory Project" category under the Calendar AND News headings.

Project Contact

Questions regarding this project should be directed to Glastonbury Director of Community Development, Shelley Caltagirone, at (860) 652-7515 or shelley.caltagirone@glastonbury-ct.gov.