A Healing Connection: Connecticut's State Forests Contribute to Witch Hazel Products 

Chances are, you have used witch hazel extract. It is commonly used as a toner for skin care and a medical aid to reduce swelling and heal wounds. Connecticut is home to the world's largest producer of witch hazel products, thanks to the abundant witch hazel plant (Hamamelis virginiana) that is commonly found throughout our oak-hickory forests. Witch hazel is a shrub that has irregularly shaped leaves, and it blooms in the fall after its leaves have fallen. 

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a native shrub that displays delicate, yellow flowers after leaf drop. 

Connecticut's State Forests and private landowners provide witch hazel for the industry. This partnership ensures that the harvesting of witch hazel is conducted in an environmentally responsible manner, supporting forest health and regeneration. 

Bryan Jackowitz, the Vice President of American Distilling Inc., states that “For more than 150 years, we’ve been proud to call Connecticut home and to collaborate with the State in harvesting witch hazel from its lands. Through selective, organic practices, we’re able to locally source a native raw material while also strengthening forest health and diversity by creating space for new seedlings to thrive. It’s a partnership that benefits not just us, but the state and the environment we all share.”

Witch hazel harvesting is a small-scale operation, with stems cut by hand and the assistance of a tractor to drag the stems out of the forest. Photo credit: American Distilling. 

Witch hazel is one of many forest products harvested seasonally, and on a limited basis, from Connecticut state lands. Harvests occur in areas where the removal of witch hazel is compatible with the forest's management goals. 

Learn more about forest products harvested from Connecticut’s woodlands, and Why We Manage Connecticut State Forests. 

Southern pine beetle. Photo credit: bugwood.org. 

Forest Facts: Southern Pine Beetle  

1. What is the southern pine beetle (SPB)? This non-native insect is very destructive to certain species of pine, including Scotch, red, and pitch pines. It not yet known to infest the white pine tree. SPB is of particular concern in Connecticut due to the protection of the imperiled pitch pine-scrub oak ecosystem.       

2. Are SPB's Connecticut? SPB is primarily a pest in the Southeastern United States, however it was first found in Connecticut in 2015. Although its spread is limited, CT DEEP Foresters are continuously monitoring for its presence.   

3. How is the SPB identified? The adult beetle is dark brown and 1/8 inch long. Infested trees will have popcorn-sized clumps of resin (sap) on their bark where beetles bored holes into the bark. Infected trees will also have S-shaped tunnels underneath the bark where females lay eggs. The wood of pines that are affected by SPB will develop a blue color.  

To report a suspect SPB find, call the CAES Insect Inquiry office at 203-974-8600. Questions about Southern pine beetle? Learn more from DEEP Forestry 

Some of the 2024-2025 Master Woodland Manager graduates and instructors. Photo credit: CT Forest & Park Association. 

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Master Woodland Manager Graduates!    

After a year of learning and working in the woods, the 2024-2025 Master Woodland Manager cohort graduated on July 31, 2025. Each student spent over 55 hours with Forestry and Conservation professionals (including DEEP Forestry and Wildlife staff) learning about forest ecology, wildlife ecology, threats to forest health, silvicultural management strategies, and more. They will continue their learning as they steward Connecticut's privately owned woodlands. Join us in congratulating the latest round of MWM graduates!   

Learn more about Connecticut Forest & Park Association's CT Master Woodland Manager program.  

Welcome Les Welker and Erin Alvey to the      Urban & Community Forestry Program! 

The DEEP Forestry Division's Urban and Community Forestry program welcomes Les Welker as the Partnership Coordinator and Erin Alvey as a contracted Grant Program Specialist working with the Wildlife Management Institute in partnership with DEEP Forestry. 

Les most recently worked as a contractor with the Wildlife Management Institute, supporting DEEP’s Urban and Community Forestry programs. He brings valuable experience in grant administration and a strong technical background in urban forestry, including community engagement, geospatial analysis, street tree planting, and urban canopy assessment. Les developed these skills while working at the Urban Resources Initiative in New Haven and while earning his Master’s in Environmental Science from the Yale School of the Environment. He’s passionate about helping communities care for the forests closest to home.

Erin is a forest ecologist with a professional background in forestry, ecological restoration, and horticulture. She is experienced in project management, grant administration, and capacity-building in natural resources management. Erin enjoys collaborating with a diverse array of stakeholders to implement multi-objective forest management projects, incorporating cultural values or traditional knowledge, and cultivating resilient communities.

Connecticut's Service Forestry Program Reaches Great Heights

Frank Cervo, Eastern Region Service Forester, at a Service Forestry site visit in Essex. Photo Credit: Beth Bernard. 

DEEP's Service Forestry program collected feedback from landowners who received site visits in the past year. The Service Forestry program visits over 150 privately owned forests every year to provide technical assistance to woodland owners. 

Recipients of this free service include private landowners, land trusts, municipalities, and corporations with 10 or more acres of woodland. Of the woodland owners who responded, 82% felt inspired to take action in their woodland after participating in a woodland walk with their Service Forester. These actions included invasive plant management, timber stand improvement, hiring a forester to develop a management plan, marking boundaries, and conducting a harvest.

Additionally, 73% of respondents reported that their perspective on forest management had changed as a result of the visit. Landowners gained appreciation and knowledge of their forest and the resources available to manage it.

The top two reported challenges to private woodland management are the availability of time and money; many landowners indicated the need for further professional assistance with projects such as harvests, invasive species control, and management planning. After a site visit, DEEP's Service Foresters provide a follow-up site visit report to landowners that includes goal-oriented management recommendations, a property map, and resources to help landowners take further steps to care for their woodland. A common next step for landowners is to hire a consultant to develop a 10-year management plan for their woodland.   

The DEEP Forestry Division values this free service as a gift to our community and Connecticut's forests. 

Connect with your Service Forester and learn more about DEEP's Service Forestry program. 

Important Update: Forest Practitioner eLicensing 

The Division of Forestry is transitioning to an online licensing platform known as “eLicensing” for your Commercial Forest Practitioner Certification. Use of this platform will allow you to log in to your account, manage your profile, change contact information, upload Continuing Education Units (CEUs), electronically enter and submit Annual Reports, apply for and/or renew your certification, and pay with a credit card. Additionally, you will be able to print your certificate and wallet card at home. For those of you who still wish to carry the traditional wallet ID card, the Department will be issuing new ID cards upon request at no additional cost.

All certifications will be extended to an expiration date of January 31st of the following year listed on your certification. For example, if your certification currently expires on November 1, 2025, your certification will be extended to January 31, 2026. If your current certification expires on March 1, 2026, your certification will be extended to January 31, 2027, and so on. 

The e-licensing platform will go into effect before November 2025. Contact Nicholas.Zito@ct.gov with questions. 

Important Update: PA490 Forest Land Valuation 

For town-wide property tax re-evaluations occurring after October 1, 2025, the recommended PA 490 Forest Land value has been changed to $200/acre. For further explanation, please see the 2025 PA 490 Recommended Land Use Values and Best Practices.

Opportunities for Woodland Owners 

October 22 at 6:30 pm: Berlin Land Trust Properties in an Era of Forest Health Challenges. Berlin-Peck Memorial Library, 234 Kensington Rd, Berlin, CT. 

Join CT DEEP Forester David Irvin to learn about his forestry assessments for Berlin Land Trust properties. Irvin will discuss those assessments along with basic principles of forest health, climate change, and wildlife habitat.

October 17-19: Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) 

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) is an educational initiative that provides women with the space and resources to explore, develop, and grow their outdoor skills. Through hands-on instruction in beginner-friendly settings, BOW introduces participants to a wide range of activities — from hunting and fishing to hiking, camping, outdoor cooking, and more. 

November 15: Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissions Conference, Courtyard by Marriott Cromwell, 4 Sebethe Drive Cromwell, CT. 

Grant Opportunities from DEEP 

CT Long Island Sound Ecosystems Grant, Due December 16 

Urban Green and Community Garden Grant, Due December 17 

Connecticut Recreational Trails Funding, Due December 18 

DEEP Climate Resilience Fund, Due January 15, 2026