Partners conserve nearly 7,400 acres of Vermont forest
Vermont Land Trust and The Conservation Fund recently partnered to protect nearly 7,400 acres of the Green Ridge Forest — one of Vermont's largest privately-owned forests.
One of Vermont’s largest privately-owned forests outside the Northeast Kingdom has been protected, thanks to a partnership between Vermont Land Trust and The Conservation Fund, both accredited.
The Conservation Fund purchased the Green Ridge Forest property in central Vermont from a timber company in 2014 through its Working Forest Fund® program, which is dedicated to mitigating climate change, strengthening rural economies and protecting natural ecosystems through the permanent conservation of at-risk working forests.
They then sold the land to Green Ridge LLC, which simultaneously conserved the land with Vermont Land Trust, thus ensuring the land’s continued protection. The land will be managed for sustainable timber and recreation.
The Green Ridge Forest spans three central Vermont counties: Addison, Orange and Windsor. Some of the highest elevation peaks in Vermont are found there, ranging from 800 to 3,000 feet. Six significant streams form headwaters of the Third Branch of the White River, a major tributary of the Connecticut River.
“The protection of a connected forest of this scale and impact does not come around often,” said Vermont Land Trust’s Liza Walker, Central Vermont project director. “In the face of a changing climate, forests like the Green Ridge provide protection against major storms and floods, store carbon in their trees and soils, and slow the loss of biodiversity.”