Discover what it takes for Vermont county foresters to play a role in implementing the state's mission of forest health and helping private land management to thrive.

Mainly serving as intermediaries between Vermont natural resources and private landowners, Vermont county foresters are key staff dealing with issues of the health and productivity of local woodlands. Providing expert, professional guidance on sustainable forestry practices, they are very important in a state like Vermont which has a very high percentage of privately owned forest land. Their role is critical for landscape-level conservation.

The main task of Vermont county foresters is to help landowners through the Use Value Appraisal program, better known as "Current Use." Foresters check business plans for these programs to ensure that timber harvesting and conservation efforts are in line with state standards. By making visits to the site, forests can detect the presence of invasive species, carry out monitoring of forest regeneration, and offer advice on how to improve wildlife habitats.

Aside from the paperwork, these foresters indirectly strengthen the state's ecology. They raise awareness to the community on forest health problems, such as the invasion of emerald ash borer, and are willing to lend a hand in handling the climate change issues, which are very often discussed today. They are the forest experts whose knowledge helps the forest ecosystem to stay healthy, productive, and biologically diverse not only today but also for several generations to come. Although commercial logging is not their job, they are able to provide an impartial