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 public perceptions of forest management.

Key elements and near‑term work

Presenters said the stakeholder process produced a preferred future in which intentional forest management combines with proactive industry adaptation, private and public investment in innovation, and stronger regional supply chains. The roadmap groups actions around five interconnected pillars; presenters described examples from multiple pillars during the hearing:

- Forest management and land use: K. Luke McNally and others urged policies to maintain working forests and help landowners access incentives and assistance. McNally pointed to U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data and said, "Our forests are getting healthier according to the FIA data," while also noting that total forest acreage has begun to decline in places because of development and invasive species pressures.

- Business environment and conditions: Chris Brooks, of the Vermont Wood Pellet Company, described the business impact of mill closures and wood‑supply disruptions in recent years and efforts by independent operators to form a forest products center in southern Vermont to aggregate production, diversify outputs (pellets, mulch, sawdust) and share byproducts. "I'm sold out every single year," Brooks said of product demand, while emphasizing that wood supply and labor limit production.

- Community and recreation links: Abby Long, executive director of Kingdom Trails Association, described how outdoor recreation can complement forest products by keeping working landscapes intact and generating direct economic activity. She said Kingdom Trails brings "over $10,000,000 annually to the Northeast Kingdom," and described a recent on‑site timber harvest where local wood was processed and reused within a five‑mile radius for trail bridges and other infrastructure.

- Market reputation and social license: Presenters emphasized improving public understanding of sustainable forest management to reduce friction between conservation values and active forestry. Long and others said education and on‑site examples (timber harvested and reused locally) help connect recreational users and residents to the forest products sector.

Implementation and funding

Speakers described an implementation steering committee (ISC) formed to advance roadmap actions; the ISC currently operates without dedicated staff and relies on participating organizations. Presenters said work underway includes fundraising, grantwriting, coordinating financing with the Vermont Economic Development Authority, and early groundwork on workforce development and technology innovation.

They flagged a prospective regional innovation hub proposal being pursued by partners including the Northern Forest Center and the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund for possible National Science Foundation funding, and described discussions with federal partners and VEDA about financing modern equipment and business growth.

Challenges and barriers raised

Speakers identified several concrete barriers the roadmap must address: mill closures (examples cited included Johnson and Mill River), permitting hurdles under Act 250 that can constrain facility siting or trail connections, and invasive species and climate effects concentrated in some regions such as the Champlain Valley and Grand Isle County.

Luke McNally and others also noted that roughly 19,000 parcels are enrolled in Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal (current use) program, which supports keeping land forested; presenters urged that land‑use incentives and clearer permitting guidance be part of the implementation agenda.

Discussion and next steps

Presenters asked legislators and committee members to consider supporting roadmap actions and related proposals expected to be introduced in the legislative session, including measures to incentivize private landowner participation in public recreation access. They invited deeper follow‑up visits: the group plans tours and a timber harvest visit at Mansfield State Forest and encouraged further committee engagement.

Oliver Kiersten closed by saying the implementation group is "open to ideas and participation" and expressed appreciation for legislative support to date.

Ending: Presenters asked the committee for continued engagement and to consider the roadmap’s short‑term priorities while implementation work continues. The ISC aims to show progress through fundraising, pilot projects and a public dashboard tracking actions over the coming months and years.