Vermont is very fortunate that our forests have recovered from a time when almost 80% of the state was shorn of its trees, to now when almost 80% of the state is forested. However, our forests have been under pressure from development and climate change. And most recently, a new pressure is arising from plans to increase logging activities on our public lands. Many of these plans include the use of clear cuts and patch cuts, which are the most damaging and have the greatest carbon impact of all logging types.
Vermont forests are critical for clean air and water, carbon sequestration and storage, providing habitat and habitat connectivity, mitigating the impacts of increasingly larger storms, and of course providing a place for all of us to recreate, relax, and reflect. Within Vermont, we have old growth forests as well as forests that will become old growth.
