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MICHAEL FREIBURGER
MICHAEL FREIBURGER
Michael Freiburger is the managing forester at Connwood Foresters, Inc. He graduated from Wesleyan University and holds a Master of Forestry degree from Yale School of the Environment. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, Michael served in the U.S. Army for eight years before pursuing higher education. He gained forestry experience as an apprentice forester with the Yale Forest School and as an urban forester with the Urban Resources Initiative in New Haven, CT. With a passion for climate smart land management, Michael focuses on enhancing the resiliency of forest lands in the human-rural interface, addressing the challenges of a changing climate with sustainable practices.
Email: Michael@connwood.com
Phone: 860-349-9910
CT Forester #1395
JACOB FRAME
JACOB FRAME
Jacob Frame joined Connwood in July 2026 as a Connecticut-licensed forester after graduating from the Master of Forestry and Master of Business Administration programs at Yale University. Originally from West Virginia, Jacob earned undergraduate degrees from WVU before serving in the U.S. Army for over 10 years. His forestry experience includes the apprentice forester program at Yale-Myers Forest in Union, CT along with special projects in Germany, Ireland, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Jacob’s professional interests lie in helping landowners manage their forests sustainably for multiple uses, including timber and non-timber forest products, recreation, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
Email: Jacob@connwood.com
Phone: 860-884-3605
CT Forester #2009
PETER LESMERISES
PETER LESMERISES
Peter Lesmerises is a part-time Eastern Region Forester for Connwood Foresters. Peter has been a major factor to Connwood's success over the last decade and has been lending his wealth of knowledge to our new staff. He not only brings a unmatched work ethic to the table, but his careful attention to detail and expanse of tacit knowledge makes him a true asset to our forestry team. Peter began his studies in Forestry achieving a B.S. from the University of New Hampshire. After college Peter joined the Peace Corp, working in Guatemala managing a tree nursery and teaching soil conservation classes. Upon his return he worked as a forester in Virginia, learning the ins and outs of the industrial forestry market, then moved to Connecticut and worked as a procurement forester in Connecticut for 22 years. Peter is a Licensed Forester in Connecticut and Massachusetts and NRCS TSP certified.
CT Forester# 60
NRCS TSP #25-50027
TIM HAWLEY
TIM HAWLEY
Tim Hawley serves as board chair and interim president of Connwood. Tim has served on Connwood’s board of managers since 1998. He is a graduate of Wabash College and the Yale University School of the Environment. Tim developed and implemented a comprehensive multiple use forest management plan for the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. As a member of the CT RC&D Forestry Subcommittee, Tim revised the CT Logging and Water Quality Best Management Practices pocket guide. He is active in the Society of American Foresters, recently serving as lead author of “Southern New England Forest Management in an Era of Climate Change,” a position statement adopted by the Yankee Chapter of SAF.
Tim’s forestry career began on Great Mountain Forest, splitting firewood, shearing Christmas trees, maintaining forest roads, and completing timber stand improvements. He has worked in the spruce-fir forests of northern Maine and helped fight the 3400-acre 1977 Baxter State Park Fire. Tim briefly taught vocational agriculture at his alma mater, Housatonic Valley Regional H.S., and then worked for CT DEEP as a service forester several years before joining the Regional Water Authority. Tim holds Connecticut and Massachusetts professional forester licenses, is an approved forester in New Jersey, and is nationally certified by the Society of American Foresters.
CT Forester #153
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