Willington commission approves timber‑harvest plan tied to Becker quarry, issues jurisdictional ruling

The Willington Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on June 22 approved a timber‑harvest application (TH26‑3) covering multiple parcels near the Becker quarry and, in a separate motion, issued a jurisdictional ruling that the work falls under the commission's oversight.

The applicant, Greg Rondo, told the commission the proposal is a selective harvest across roughly a 300‑acre assemblage of parcels, with landings and most extraction routed through the existing quarry to avoid wetland or stream crossings. "We use Connecticut best management practices in all of our timber harvest," Rondo said, describing plans to contain skid trails and use crane mats where soils could be disturbed.

Commissioners pressed for detail on map scale and boundary markers; staff confirmed about 84 abutter notifications were mailed in accordance with the application. Commissioners discussed a difficult extraction run from a northeast corner of the property and the need for conservative trail siting to limit disturbance. The commission said some pins could not be located and the applicant has been coordinating with abutters on those boundary lines.

After the presentation and questions the commission member moved to approve TH26‑3; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The commission then approved IW26‑5, the associated jurisdictional ruling, by voice vote.

The commission noted timber‑harvest reporting to the state (to the contact named in the application file) is due July 1; staff said it is on the commission calendar. The commission also discussed options for post‑activity inspections if concerns arise, including coordinating inspections with staff and reporting noncompliance to state agencies.

Next steps: the applicant may proceed consistent with the commission's conditions; the commission will receive the required state timber‑harvest report on July 1.