The 29-acre Madeline Regan Preserve in Tolland is the location of an exciting ongoing conservation project to encourage a climate-resilient habitat through the use of prescribed burns. Upon discovering six healthy pitch pine trees among many dying ones in the white pine-dominant preserve–evidence of a once-larger stand of pitch pine–Joshua’s Trust Stewardship Manager Alex DiMauro-D’Amico set into action an ambitious multi-phase project to restore a habitat which enables the living pitch pines to receive the full sun needed to begin recreating the original pitch pine barren, a fire-dependent ecosystem that is disappearing as we actively suppress wildfires. After approval from the Joshua’s Trust Stewardship Committee, the project was subsequently awarded a $11,552 Climate Smart Stewardship Grant by the Connecticut Land Conservation Council, equipping Joshua’s Trust with the tools needed for pitch pine habitat restoration at the Regan Preserve and for continuing to integrate climate-smart stewardship on our properties in the future.
The project site has transformed drastically over the last year. The clearing and piling of under-story brush in the summer of 2025 became the fuel for a blazing farewell to an endless winter. On February 27, Joshua’s Trust conducted a controlled burn on four 50×50′ brush piles at the Regan Preserve.
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
Common names: torch pine, hard pine, black pine, yellow pine
Appearance: often has twisted, gnarled, or irregular shape; can reach heights of 30-80’
Needles: stiff, yellow-green, 2-5” long
Bark: thick, reddish-brown, broken into large plates allowing it to withstand fire
Cones: 1-3.5” long, often with sharp prickles on the scales
Habitat: commonly found in dry, nutrient-poor, acidic soils
Adaptation: highly fire-resistant; can regenerate using epicormic shoots (new needles/branches) that sprout directly from the trunk after fire or injury
Growing conditions: full sun, thrives in dry, sandy soil, low maintenance once established, requiring little care other than adequate sunlight
