08/10/2026
Habitat Restoration in Easton
The woods in this photo may look like 'just a forest' to some but to us it's an inspiring example of what successful habitat restoration in Connecticut looks like. Many thanks to Lou Bacchiocchi and Justin Girlando from Aspetuck Land Trust for hosting RCC Commissioners Keller, Hogan, Sharp, Nichols, and Barbieri on a field trip to Jump Hill Preserve in Easton. This Land Trust property has been the site of a nearly 10-year, 9-acre restoration effort to eradicate invasive Japanese barberry and promote growth of native species such as oak, cherry, elm, and sassafras. Note the thick growth of plants in the understory here - a rich diversity of native trees and shrubs of different sizes (known as 'structual complexity') with no sign of over-browsing by deer. This is what healthy woodland looks like!
