Mass Audubon seeks permit for multi-year invasive-plant management and small-structure removals at Laughing Brook

Mass Audubon on Aug. 20 asked the Hamden Conservation Commission to accept a notice of intent for invasive-plant management and limited structure removals at Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, a roughly 150-acre conservation property. Naomi Valentine of SWCA Environmental Consultants presented the application on Mass Audubon’s behalf, and Tom Latsenheiser, senior conservation ecologist with Mass Audubon, described the project as an initial stage of forest restoration planned from 2025 to 2029.

The project aims to reduce woody and herbaceous invasive plants and restore native communities in 15 treatment compartments across five forest stands. "The proposed project is planned out from 2025 to 2029," Valentine said during the presentation. The application divides work by compartment and by treatment intensity—ranging from light chemical and light mechanical methods to mechanical-chemical follow-up in hard-to-access areas.

The commission was told the primary herbicides proposed are glyphosate and triclopyr, with imazapyr listed for the most difficult infestations. Latsenheiser described the chemicals as systemic and said they are selected because "they are systemic herbicides that are translocated from the site of application" and can kill root systems,…