Landowner Resources & Tools

Careful Forest Management

    • List of Small-scale Woods Workers (logging/forwarding, trucking, milling). People often ask us for names of small-scale woods workers, including loggers, truckers, and sawyers in and around the Center-West Ecoregion. Our list is by no means exhaustive, but offers a place to start.
    • Wild Forests Vermont’s Current Use Study Overview. January 2022. Expanding Vermont’s Current Use program to include a wild forest category of land use is a much needed update. Learn why.

Organic control of woody invasives. VFF conservation practices include organic, non-chemical control of invasive plants in the forest understory.

    • Forest Savers. Based in Woodstock, Vermont, Forest Savers offers mechanical treatment of woody invasives.
    • GreenTek. Based in Vermont, GreenTek specializes in low impact ecologically friendly practices to clear land.
    • Extractigator. We’ve found this to be a very helpful tool for uprooting buckthorn saplings (<2″ diameter). Vermont Family Forests has purchased extra Extractigators to loan out to local forest landowners. Contact us to borrow one.
    • Buckthorn baggies. We’ve had success with these heavy-duty bags, which kill the stumps of large-diameter buckthorns without chemicals

Portable Forwarding Bridges

    • Excellent video on using and building a portable forwarding bridge (from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation). 14 minutes.
    • Diagram for building a portable forwarding bridge.

    Forest-Centered Conservation

    • Vermont Conservation Design
      • Summary Report, February, 2018. Vermont Conservation Design is a practical and efficient plan sustain the state’s valued natural areas, forests, waters, wildlife, and plants during this era of rapidly changing climate.
      • Biofinder. This online mapping tool for identifying Vermont’s lands and waters that support important ecosystems, natural communities, habitats, and species. You can zoom in on your land and explore its ecological features.
    • Town Forest Health Check. If you’re a community member interested in taking an active role in maintaining the health of your community’s town forest, the Town Forest Health Check will help you determine if the optimal conservation practices that maintain forest health are in place in your town forest.

    Forest Ecosystem Health

    • Carbon-Friendly Forests. Video-taped lecture by Dr. Bill Keeton, forest ecologist and University of Vermont professor, at Ilsley Library on February 27, 2020.

    Forest Culture