Connecticut Forest Products

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Connecticut Grown Forest Products

More About the Program   |   How to Become Registered as a Producer

The Connecticut Grown Forest Products Program promotes products made from trees grown in Connecticut.  

By purchasing Connecticut Grown Forest Products, you make a statement in support of the state's forests, including those owned by private woodland owners. The economic value of products from these local woodlands encourage landowners and communities to keep their "woods" and not convert the land to other uses. 

Use the CT Grown Forest Products Map to locate producers. You can view all products or search for specific products, such as "cedar posts" or "kiln-dried lumber".

More About the Program:

The Connecticut Grown Program began in 1986, with the introduction of the now familiar green and blue logo to identify agricultural products grown in the state. The popularity of this program has increased greatly, as consumers have come to know this logo and appreciate the value of locally grown agricultural products.

In January 2011, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Department of Agriculture (DOA) reached an historic agreement to include products from Connecticut's forests in this widely known program.

Connecticut is a state rich in forest resources. The wide variety of products that come from its forests include:

• lumber,
• timbers and beams,
• flooring,
• fencing,
• landscape mulch, and
• maple syrup.  

Wood from Connecticut's trees is also used in the manufacture of items as wide ranging as:

• fine furniture,
• wooden bowls, and
• specialty items, such as the masts of tall ships and wooden boat timber.

Requirements within the Connecticut Grown Forest Products Program assure that "Connecticut Grown" forests are managed in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The Connecticut Grown Forest Products Program is administered by the Division of Forestry in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. 

How to become registered as a Connecticut Grown Forest Products producer:

Submit an application - Word Form / PDF.  After initial review of the application, you will be required to provide evidence of compliance with the program requirements.

Forest products sold as Connecticut-Grown:

1. Must be harvested, grown and produced using sustainable forestry practices (Conversion of forest land to non-conservation uses is unacceptable.);
2. Must be harvested, grown and produced utilizing best management practices as described in DEEP's 2007 Field Guide for Best Management Practices for Water Quality While Harvesting Forest Products;
3. Must be harvested, grown, and produced in compliance with the Connecticut Forest Practices Act (Section 23-65f through 23-65o of the Connecticut General Statutes);
4. May include trees from urban forests provided there is evidence of a program of urban tree sustainability; and
5. Must be harvested, grown and produced in Connecticut in compliance with Section 22-38 of the Connecticut General Statutes. Records must be maintained to document that the product came from Connecticut and was produced in a sustainable manner. Products sold under the CT Grown label must have an origin traceable to Connecticut.

Note:  Requirement 1 - Forest products harvested to convert the acreage from forestland to a non-agricultural use such as parking lot(s), residence(s), commercial or industrial building(s) are unacceptable as the product was not the result of a "sustainable" forest practice. If the product was harvested from conversion of forestland to agricultural cropland or pastureland, the product would be acceptable because the land is "conserved" in its ability to grown plants, sustain animals, etc.

For further information on the Connecticut Grown Forest Products Program or other topics related to the production of forest products in Connecticut, please contact:

Douglas Emmerthal
Program Manager
Private and Municipal Lands, Forest Practices Act
CT DEEP Forestry
860-424-3635
Douglas.Emmerthal@ct.gov

Content last updated October 2019