Vermont presenters outline 10-year 'Forest Futures' roadmap to strengthen working forests and industry

A coalition of state forestry officials, forest-product entrepreneurs, conservation groups and recreation leaders presented the Vermont Forest Futures strategic roadmap to the House Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Committee, laying out a 10‑year plan to support working forests and expand the state’s forest products economy.

The roadmap, developed with broad stakeholder input and finalized in 2024, identifies 30 actions across five pillars — including forest management and land use, business environment, market and reputation, and community-linked economic development — and highlights short‑term priorities meant to jump‑start implementation.

"We depend on forests to protect the environment, just to support biodiversity, to sustain our economy," said Oliver Kiersten, Director of Forests at the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, in opening remarks. Kiersten said the Legislature’s 2022 Act 183 directed the agency to produce the roadmap to assess the forest economy and recommend actionable strategies.

Why it matters: Vermont’s forested landscape and its related industries underpin a sizable part of the state economy. Presenters gave several measures of scale: roughly 4.5 million acres of forest (about 80% privately owned), more than 13,000 jobs tied to the forest economy, and more than $2 billion in annual economic output. Speakers said those assets face short‑ and medium‑term threats from mill closures, workforce shortages, market shocks and changing…