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The Connecticut Forest and Park Association, Darien Land Trust, and North Branford Land Conservation Trust awarded grants by the Connecticut Land Conservation Counsel to integrate climate mitigation, resilience, and adaptation into the stewardship of conserved lands. 

The Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC) is thrilled to announce the most recent recipients of its Climate-Smart Land Stewardship Grant Program. These projects demonstrate the proactive efforts of Connecticut’s land trusts in addressing climate change through practical and innovative nature-based solutions that improve ecosystem resilience, enhance biodiversity, and increase carbon sequestration.

Three land trusts were awarded planning grants to develop forest management plans, essential tools for land stewards to maintain forest health and ensure the long-term sustainability of their forest resources. Such plans provide a framework for informed decision-making, promoting responsible and effective land stewardship. Grantees include:

• The CT Forest & Park Association (CFPA) aims to transform Field Forest in Durham into a living demonstration forest that highlights climate-smart forestry practices. CFPA will utilize its $6,000 grant to design a Forest Management Plan to develop a dynamic outdoor classroom, offering valuable learning opportunities for learners from CFPA educational programs, including participants in its nationally recognized Master Woodland Manager (MWM) program.
• The Darien Land Trust will use its $5,365 grant to work with a forester and a meadow specialist to develop a forest management plan at the Olson Woods & Piacentini Preserves. The plan will focus on climate resilience and include three key initiatives: restoring the wetland buffer at Olson Pond to prevent erosion and restore native habitat, repopulating the forest with native understory trees to add biodiversity and structural diversity, and rehabilitating a meadow overrun by invasive species to restore its ecological value. 
• The North Branford Land Conservation Trust (NBLCT) will use its $3,500 planning grant to develop a forest management plan for a carbon-smart demonstration forest at their Beech and Pomps property. NBLCT recently acquired the parcel with the support of the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program. The stewardship plan will allow for access to the public, demonstrate carbon-smart forest management principles, and enhance wildlife habitat. This section of North Branford forest is home to one of the state’s endangered species, the Northern long-eared bat. 

These climate-smart land stewardship projects will impact 205 acres of Connecticut’s forests. They represent the fifth cohort of initiatives awarded grants through CLCC’s Climate-Smart program. The first four cohorts of grantees, awarded in 2024, included 15 land trusts with projects impacting more than 1,300 acres of open space. In total, CLCC has distributed $349,000 in climate-smart grants to date. Learn more about each Climate-Smart Land Stewardship grantee by visiting CLCC’s StoryMap. 

Map of CLCC’s Climate-Smart Land Stewardship grantees.

Funding for this grant program was paid for by the Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Grant program, established through Public Act 22-118. Funding was awarded and administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. The Connecticut Land Conservation Council, one of twelve organizations selected for an award, is distributing sub-grants to land trusts.

Land trusts interested in pursuing climate-smart land stewardship initiatives are encouraged to learn more about the program and application process. The next and last (for the foreseeable future) application deadline for CLCC’s Climate-Smart Land Stewardship Grant Program is May 1.