DURHAM, CT — On Nov. 3, the Durham Conservation Commission considered eight conditions attached to a state forestry grant for Curtis Woodlands and agreed to revise the project budget. Commission Chair Philip Augur reviewed the application and the award letter issued by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Patch reported.
The meeting ran from 7 p.m. to 7:32 p.m., Patch reported. No one from the public attended, and commissioners approved the agenda unanimously.
The state's conditions include protecting new tree plantings from deer and clarifying which project costs qualify for grant funding. Commissioners agreed to add deer protection and other items flagged by the state to the budget. Commissioners Casey Cordes and Josh Miller discussed why the deer protection measures were needed and how they would be implemented. Augur plans to ask the state to explain expenses it labeled ineligible for funding.
Who Would Do the Forestry Work
Patch reported that the commission's two certified foresters said they were comfortable handling administrative and professional services, including getting bids. Commissioners also considered hiring an outside forester for field tasks, including marking trees and monitoring forestry practices.
Augur agreed to reach out to the firm that wrote the town's forest management plan for Curtis Woodlands, the plan the grant application was built on, Patch reported. He will ask whether the firm can take on the technical work and at what price. Commissioners also talked about building a contingency into the revised budget.