Indicators of an economically healthy forest

1
A vision for the forests of the White River
Watershed
2

• In 30 years we hope for
• More local harvesting of high quality marketable
  wood products that are manufactured in the
  watershed with no waste.
• A local marketing cooperative
• Qualified, local forest practitioners and forest
  management that includes ecology as well as
  silviculture
• All forests and forest products to be sustainably
  certified
• No clear cutting or to have size limits for clear
  cuts
• Incentives that lead to good stewardship
• An emphasis on comprehensive, community based,
  management
• Examine/manage previous logging issues
  restoration?
• Maintained or increased hunting access
• Improved deer yards and herds
• A youth population that appreciates and
  participates in hunting and fishing
• Clean water
• Recognition of the role the forest plays in water
  quality
• Forests and logging roads that are managed to
  minimize soil erosion

3

• A forest that is high in biodiversity managed
  for biodiversity and sustainability
• Regulation/monitoring of recreational use (ATV,
  snowmobile, mtn. bikes)
• Large areas of pristine wilderness to be
  accessible for recreation (define pristine)
• The same amount of private lands
• Landowners to have the right to harvest trees on
  their own land
• Maintain current balance between private and
  public land as well as current wilderness
  designations
• An aesthetic watershed where no littering or
  dumping occurs
• Multiple use
• Forests to provide economic livelihood (pay
  taxes)
• A plan for emergencies (ice storms, disease,
  etc.)
• Management that takes into consideration possible
  residential development (i.e. subdivisions) in
  planning and incorporates forested areas
  (wilderness) into any development plans
• A state that has addressed the inequities in the
  market
• Increased quality/quantity of forestry education

4
Indicators of

• an economically,
• socially / culturally,
• and environmentally
• healthy forest.

5
What is the current status and trend of an
indicator?
6
Indicators of aneconomically healthy forest

• Number/amount of products manufactured in the
  watershed
• Number/amount of products/logs exported (need
  clarification)
• List of primary/secondary manufacturers
• Impediments to new manufacturing (start-ups) --
  legal/social/economic
• Number of foresters living and working in the
  watershed
• Number of acres of forests certified
• Board feet harvested annually in the watershed
• Number of visitor days to the area

7
Forest Inventory and Stumpage ValueKelsey
Cornelius

• Forest land covers 84 of the White River Basin
  (Vermont Agency of Natural Resources 2002)
• Comparison of Size Class, Growing Stock Volume,
  Sawtimber Volume, Stumpage Value for two
  endpoints
• George D. Aiken Resource Conservation and
  Development Report, 1970.
• Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Inventory
  Analysis, 1997 (data for Orange, Rutland,
  Washington, Windsor and Addison counties).

8
SizeClass
Sapling and seedling stands increased by 14
percent from 1948 to 1966
9
GrowingStock
Sugar Maple accounted for 54 of N. Hardwood in
1966. 1997?
10
SawTimber
Percent volume of sawtimber trees by species in 5
Counties, Vermont, 1997
11
Stumpage Price
McEvoy, T. (2004). Stumpage Price Data from 1981.
Extension Forestry in Vermont. Retrieved from
http//stumpage.uvm.edu/19813.html
12
Forest Products Industry Primary ProductionAdam
Lucas

• Sawmills, 2002
• Vermont 185 (187 in 1995)
• White River Watershed 12
• Six with annual production gt 100 Mbf
• Six with annual production lt 100 Mbf
• Interviewed Gabriel Bolton of Wagner Forest
  Management on direct and indirect impacts of
  primary production, including excavating
  contractors, fuel purchase for equipment,
  purchase of parts for equipment, maintenance of
  equipment, some local housing when necessary, and
  use of local markets and stores, property taxes,
  recreation use.
• Year 2000 employment in (1) Farming, Fishing, and
  Forestry (FFF), and (2) Agriculture, Forestry,
  Fishing and Hunting, and Mining occupations
  (AFFM)

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Occupation
COUNTY TOWN FFF AFFM
Addison Hancock 0 0
Granville 5 (2.7) 15 (8)
Orange Braintree 15 (2.4) 26 (4.2)
Randolph 29 (1.2) 101 (4)
Rutland Chittenden 6 (0.9) 10 (2)
Rutland 14 (0.7) 43 (2)
Washington Roxbury 7 (2.5) 9 (3.2)
Windsor Barnard 18 (3.6) 42 (8.4)
Rochester 10 (1.6) 30 (4.8)
White River Junct. 5 (0.4) 5 (0.4)
Center for Rural Studies The U.S. Census
Bureaus VT State Data Center. 802-656-3021 or
on-line lt http//crs.uvm.edu/census/2000dps/ gt
14
Forest Products Industry Secondary
ProductionPaula Zampieri

• Economic Impact of the Value-Added Portion of the
  Forest and Wood Products Industry in Vermont,
  2001
• 300 million in VT personal income
• 6.2 of VT employment (down from 16.5 in 1987)

15
Selection of Manufactured State
Watershed Forest Products
Source Agency of Commerce and Community
Development, State of Vermont Secondary Wood
Products Industry Study and Strategic Plan,
January 10, 2002.
16
Mills
State WR Counties WR Towns
1987 406 201 22
1993 339 85 9
2000 255 102 5

• Granville Manufacturing Co., Granville, VT
• Vermont Wood Specialists, Granville, VT
• Stanley Tools, Pittsfield, VT
• Richard Holmquist, Cabinet Maker, White River
  Jct., VT
• Hartford Woolen Co., Hartford, VT

Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation,
Agency of Natural Resources, Vermont Wood
Product Manufacturers and Crafters 2000, 1990,
1993, 1987, 1963, Vermont Wood Product
Manufacturers and Craters Association, Waterbury,
VT.
17
Forest Land ConservationKelly Hayes

• Current Use Appraisal (CVA) program
• In 2000, acres enrolled in Current Use Appraisal
• 1,628,404 acres covering 27.4 of the states
  land area.
• 1,152,000 acres forested, compromising 70.8 of
  all acres in CVA
• In 1983 108,000 acres in CVA (2.4 of VT)
• In 1998 1,050,767 acres in CVA (23.4 of VT)
• White River watershed 25-35 of private
  forestland
• Other forest conservation activities Vermont
  Family Forests, Chateaugauy No Towns area, New
  England Forestry Foundation, Upper Valley Land
  Trust, Vermont Land Trust

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Indicators of asocially/culturally healthy forest

• Number of acres clearcut each year and size of
  those cuts
• Presence of a single watershed wide forester
• Number of acres of private land open to hunting
  and recreation
• Deer hunting and habitat
• Town recreation plans are coordinated
• Number of recreational accesses
• Acres of land that are roadless
• Restrictions on right to harvest on own land
• Number of acres in private/public ownership
• State/federal land management plans (?)
• Number of forestry programs in local high schools
• Incentives available to encourage teachers to
  include forestry
• Number of forestry education opportunities in the
  watershed

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HuntingChris Wolff
Source Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife,
Waterbury Pittsford Offices
21
FishingDave Rosa

• Interviews with Mike Stidena (Fishing Guide), Ron
  Rhodes (WRP Board), Brad Yoder (Fishing Guide)
• Past ten years has seen two 100-year floods
• Main stem from Bethel to Rochester, only caught 2
  brook trout in past 12 years
• 99 mortality rate on stocked fish, due primarily
  to high temps
• River is perhaps too clean, with not enough
  nutrients
• Some evidence of overfishing
• However, guiding business is strong
• Stats. from Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

22
Hiking Trail Access and UseChris Anderberg

• 443.73 miles of hiking trails in the White River
  Watershed (Vermont Center for Geographic
  Information, 2002), including
• Randolph Town Forest Trails Clark Brook Trail
• Ainsworth State Park Trails Middlebury Gap
• Mount Cushman State Forest Trails Silent Cliff
  Trail
• Hancock Branch Trail Brandon Gap
• Mt. Horrid (Brandon gap N) Great Cliff Trail
• Mount Horrid Overlook Chittenden Brook Trail
• Liberty Hill Texas Gap Trail
• Barnard Trail Long Trail (portion)
• Appalachian Trail (portions)

23
Trail Use
Source Jeff Harvey, U.S. Forest Service
Rochester Station
24
Snowmobile Access and UseTaylor Cameron

• Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST)
• 140 clubs statewide
• Over 45,000 members combined
• Nearly eighty percent of the 4500 miles of trail
  in Vermont are on private lands
• Expenditures
• Average of 511 million spent on snowmobiles,
  accessories, and trips in Vermont
• A typical snowmobiler will spend close to 4,000
  on snowmobile related expenses annually, will
  ride an average of 990 miles in a year, and will
  spend 7.2 nights in a hotel or resort while
  riding
• ATV use on VAST trails has caused a great deal of
  conflict as ATV popularity grows

25
Forest EducationBrianna Parke

• K-12 Programs in Vermonts 285 public schools
• 10 of 21 vocational technology centers list
  forestry or natural resources programs (1996)
• The Great Northern Forest Curriculum, Fairbanks
  Museum/Planetarium, St. Johnsbury, VT
• VT Fish Wildlife programs Fall Naturalist,
  Project Learning Tree, and Project Wild
• VT Dept. of Forest, Parks, and Recreation
  programs
• Forestry education UVM Extension Forestry,
  technical workshops through Dept of Forest, Parks
  and Recreation, Consulting Foresters Assoc. of
  VT, VT Professional Loggers Assoc., Logger
  Education to Advance Professionalism (LEAP)
• Land owners and general public Center for
  Northern Studies, Sterling College, VT Youth
  Conservation Corp., UVM

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Private Property and ZoningCaitlin Fitzpatrick
Zoning Orange Co. Ordinance Braintree YES Brookf
ield YES Chelsea YES Randolph YES Tunbridge NO Was
hington YES Washington Co. Roxbury NO Rutland
Co. Chittenden NO Rutland (city) YES Rutland(town)
NO

• Zoning
• Windsor Co. Ordinance
• Barnard YES
• Bethel YES
• Pomfret YES
• Rochester YES
• Royalton NO
• Sharon NO
• Stockbridge YES
• Hartford YES
• Gaysville YES
• White River Jct. ?
• Addison Co.
• Hancock NO
• Granville NO

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Indicators of anenvironmentally healthy forest

• Number of forest management plans that include
  ecology as well as tree production
• Number of acres in land trust, easements, current
  use
• Cost sharing programs communities/federal/state
  (?)
• All loggers in the watershed are trained in the
  application of BMPs (?)
• Healthy, sustainable deer herd
• Develop list of habitat characteristics (?)
• Monitoring water in all logging operations (not
  just clear cuts)
• Pre- and post- monitoring of logging jobs
  (temperature/turbidity)
• Miles of class IV roads managed by towns

29
Deer Yards and Biological DiversityDan Evans

• An estimated 40,691 acres of deer yards in the
  White River Watershed
• 15,554 acres (38 ) are located within 100 meters
  of major roads
• 14,789 acres (36 ) located outside of high risk
  areas, not including those on public land
• 3,681 acres (11 ) are located on public /
  conserved lands

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31
Soil Protection and Water QualityCarla Fenner
and Christina Twomey
32
Best Management PracticeKyle Clark

• Acceptable Management Plan paper, effective as of
  August 15, 1987
• Practice 1 Steep pitches (greater than 10)
  on permanent truck roads shall not exceed 300
  feet in length.
• Practice 4 Drainage ditches shall not
  terminate where they will feed water directly
  into streams or other surface waters
• Practice 10 Logging activities, except for
  the necessary and proper construction of stream
  crossing structures, shall be kept out of stream
  channels.
• Use Value Appraisal (UVA) law, 1978
• To keep Vermonts agricultural and forested land
  productive,
• To slow development on these lands, and
• To establish greater equity in property taxation
  on undeveloped land.
• Statutory changes Act 220 (1984), Act 262
  (1986), Act 57 (1987), Act 200 (1988), Act 178
  (1996) and Act 60 (1998)
• Forest Stewardship Program

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Fish Habitat and StockingColin Kaferle
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Forest FragmentationMichael Birkby