State 'Woodworms' program donates low-grade timber from state sales to local wood banks for heating assistance

Jim Duncan, the State Lands Manager in the Division of Forests at the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation (FPR), told a legislative committee that the agency’s Woodworms program sets aside a portion of low-grade wood from state timber sales to donate to community wood banks that supply heating fuel to Vermonters in need.

Duncan said FPR partners with local wood banks and matches harvest locations to the banks’ processing and delivery capacity. He described the program as a small but targeted component of the state lands timber-harvest program that tries to fill a “last mile” gap for households who still rely on wood during cold months.

FPR’s presentation summarized the program’s scale and mechanics. The agency estimates it offers about 2,800 cords of lower-grade wood through its timber-sale prospectuses each year and aims to commit roughly 100 cords per year for donation; on average it has solicited a commitment of about 500 cords to set aside for donation and actually…