Vermont forest-products association highlights workforce outreach, local sourcing and flags EV truck rule impacts

Representatives of the Vermont Forest Products Association told the House Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry Committee that the forest-products industry faces workforce and policy challenges and described steps the association is taking to recruit young workers, support tech-center programs and promote locally sourced lumber.

The presentation on behalf of the association was given by Gwen Zacco, a new association representative, and Colleen [last name not specified], a long-serving board member and past president, with remarks from Colin Goodrich, vice president of the association and owner of Goodridge Lumber in Albany in the Northeast Kingdom. They outlined membership services, educational outreach and partnerships funded in part through a Northern Borders Regional Commission grant.

"We need to be a group that represents everyone because we all play a very vital part in making things work," Colleen said, describing the association's cross-sector membership of landowners, loggers, truckers, foresters, equipment dealers and students. She told the committee the VFPA offers student memberships that include the Northern Logger magazine and quarterly newsletters as part of an effort to attract the next generation of workers.

The association said it has worked with technical centers and the LEAP program, and assigns board members to local tech centers to build relationships and promote forestry and natural-resources programs. Colleen said enrollment and scheduling challenges put some school programs at risk: "With tight economic times, low enrollment can mean that program is in jeopardy," she said, noting the Hardwick program faced potential closure last year but remains operating.

Colin Goodrich, who said he and his three sons operate Goodridge Lumber, described the local sourcing and scale of his mill: "Our logs come within a 75 mile radius of the mill," he said, and later added the business has seven employees. He told the committee his customers include New England wholesalers and local retail customers who sometimes travel from out of state when local material is unavailable.

Speakers emphasized outreach and storytelling. Colleen described a 34-minute documentary commissioned last year that the association posted on its website and said the VFPA is planning shorter videos on topics including landowners, emerging wood products, wildlife and the role of forests in energy substitution. The association said it partners with the Vermont Forestry Foundation and Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund on industry events and roundups that lawmakers often attend.

Panelists also raised concerns about state policy proposals and implementation details that could affect operations. Gwen Zacco and Colleen referenced discussions around Act 250, a pending wood‑products study and possible adjustments to conservation or land-use goals commonly called "30 by 30" or "50 by 50," and said the association is "leaning into" those conversations. The group singled out transportation rules for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and emerging EV truck standards as an area where practical effects on operators must be considered: "When we make policy, we need to look ahead to see what effects are gonna happen down the road," Colleen said, adding that practitioners "need to be in on the conversation."

The association described a specific partnership with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation that will fund a part-time outreach coordinator through a Northern Borders Regional Commission grant to connect industry and school needs. Colleen said the VFPA will use that position to expand relationships from preschool through technical training and to promote career paths in the industry.

Committee members asked about higher-education training and equipment. Representative O'Brien noted examples from out of state of logging training tied to technical colleges and asked whether the VFPA would support similar higher‑education programs in Vermont. Colleen said the association would "certainly contribute" and expressed disappointment that a forestry program at Vermont Technical College had closed, adding that the VFPA is open to partnerships but that financial constraints can be a barrier.

The presentation closed after committee members thanked the speakers and the committee chair suggested adjourning. The association said it will continue outreach activities, film short stories about the sector and attend upcoming events, including the association's April 17 northern/southern roundups.