The Council on Environmental Quality is continuing to carry out its mission while keeping both the public and our workforce safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. All submissions to the Council should be sent electronically to: peter.hearn@ct.gov


Land


Preserved Land                Forests
Farmland                To Get Back On Track

To Get Back on Track

Milestones
The previous three pages of land indicators illustrate Connecticut's insufficient progress in land conservation. This page tracks the mandatory milestones which, if met, are expected to get the state's land conservation effort moving forward at a greater pace.
 
In 2012 and 2014, legislation was adopted and signed (Public Acts 12-152 and 
14-169, respectively) that set specific targets and timeframes for land-conservation planning.
    Mandate for DEEP   
               Deadline           
       Done?     
                      Notes on Progress                         

Prepare
comprehensive          
land conservation 
strategy (including 
an estimate of total 
conservation acreage 
in the state) 
CGS Section 23-8(b)

 

December 2012 
 Check Image

Establish a process
for 
state agencies to 
identify landholdings 
that might be
valuable

for conservation 
CGS Section 23-8(d)

No specific date  X Image  Process established for CT DOT; other
state agencies pending. 
 
Establish a
publicly-accessible

registry of
conservation lands
CGS Section 23-8(e)    
January 1, 2015  

Quarterly 
updates
thereafter
X Image  Under development; over 70,000 
acres in registry but none of the data
is publicly accessible at this time.
 
The Pace of Preservation
The gauges below show the differences between the current rates of land preservation and the rates needed to meet the goals Connecticut has set for itself.

____________
 
Preservation of Land by the State for State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management Areas

 (Goal = 10% of Connecticut's Land Area) 

  Average Annual Rate 
of State Land Acquisition Over the Last 10 Years 

Preservation Land Goal

Current Trend 
Please see the Preserved Land page for more information about this goal.

 
In the last ten years, the State of Connecticut has added about 6,700 acres to its network of state parks, forests and wildlife management areas. Achieving the State's goal would require almost doubling that ten-year total every year. ____________

 Preservation of Farmland by the State

Average Annual Rate of Farmland Preservation (1,543 Acres) Since 2014 and the Annual Preservation Rate Needed (3,750 Acres) to Reach the Preservation Goal by 2050

Farmland Preservation Gauge

Current Trend & Goal Track 
Please see the Farmland page for more information about this goal.
 ____________

Preservation of Land by Cities, Towns, State, Nonprofit Organizations and Water Utilities

(Aggregate Goal = 21% of Connecticut's Land Area)

Question Mark

The gap between the goal and the rate of acquisition by these land-conserving organizations is difficult to assess. Acquisition data are not yet collected by DEEP or any other organization.
 
Small Parcel Size: A Big Impediment 
 
One of the reasons that Connecticut probably will not meet its goals for land conservation is the fact that most forest land is owned in small parcels. Read more about this in a December 2015 CEQ staff memo.