Plan to improve forest health

VERMONT- In collaboration with the Vermont Community Foundation, the High Meadows Fund is putting $218,000 into action over the next two-years to launch a new initiative supporting statewide and local efforts to improve forest health and integrity in Vermont. In this first year, High Meadows is awarding grants to nine projects around the state that foster collaborative approaches to creating resilient, adaptable forests. Healthy forests protect wildlife and contribute to the quality of life of all Vermonters, including those who depend on the forests for their livelihoods.
The Windham Regional Commission was awarded $35,000 to coordinate the Windham South Eastern Connectivity Collaborative. The collaborative takes a comprehensive view of conservation planning in southeastern Vermont by operating on both regional and local scales. The Windham Regional Commission will be the central point organization to assist grassroots action, including landowner outreach and a citizen science wildlife tracking initiative within a high-priority habitat linkage.
The Vermont Natural Resources Council was awarded $30,000 to enhance work happening at the local level to advise municipalities and regional planning commissions on best ways to comply with Act 171. Women Owning Woodlands, a collaboration among Vermont Coverts, the Vermont Woodlands Association, the Vermont Land Trust, and UVM Extension, was awarded $19,500 to lay the groundwork for a Vermont program to effectively engage women landowners in forest management planning and to address gender-based differences in forest outreach and education.
For more information and a full list of grant recipients visit www.vermontcf.org.