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Vermont’s forests are a valuable resource.
Covering more than 4.6 million acres, Vermont is 78 percent forested, making us the fourth most heavily forested state
in the country. Vermont’s forests are managed by the Vermont Division of Forestry. Each county in Vermont is
assigned a forester to oversee regional forestry practices. The Winooski Watershed foresters are: Mike Snyder, Chittenden County Forester Russ Barrett, Washington County Forester David Paganelli, Orange County Forester County foresters provide land stewardship
assistance to homeowners. This may include technical assistance in regards
to logging, hunting, tree diseases, permitting, law and ordinance compliance,
and general habitat education. County foresters also spend much of their
time assisting developers who are seeking permits and approving Forest
Management Plans. Forests Have to “Pay for Themselves” Land is valued based on how much
it is worth if it were developed (fair market value). If land is not developed,
and left forested, the tax on the land is adjusted based on how the forest
is utilized, i.e. maple sugaring, logging, fire wood, etc. The landowner
then pays the adjusted property tax amount to their town and the State
of Vermont pays the difference. This concept, called Use Value Appraisal,
therefore provides an incentive to keep land forested while still allowing
towns to receive property tax dollars according to the fair market value.
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Use Value Appraisal Program This program, also called “Current Use” or “Land Use,” enables landowners who practice long-term forest management to have their land appraised for property taxes based on its value for forestry, rather than its fair market value. When land is enrolled, the State attaches a permanent lien to the deed. Productive forestland appraised under this program receives this assessment as long as it is actively managed according to its Forest Management Plan. If enrolled forestland is developed or harvested improperly, a land use change tax is levied on the developed portion and all or a portion will be discontinued from the Use Value Appraisal Program. Forest Management Plan To be enrolled, forestland must have an approved,
Forest Management Plan updated every ten years. This document should
express the landowner’s long-term forest management goals, describe
forest stand conditions, silvicultural objectives, and include both
a detailed map and schedule for silvicultural treatments. County
foresters who are employed by the State do not write use value plans.
Their role is to advise landowners and consulting foresters, review
and approve management plans and Forest Management Activity Reports,
and to conduct on-site monitoring. City Trees Trees along
streets, in parks and town greens, and on municipal forest lands
are our community forests. These trees are cared for by the VT Urban
& Community Forest Program (U&CF). This program provides
assistance to communities for the planning and care of street trees
and town greenscape trees. For more information contact Danielle
Fitzko, U&CF State Coordinator danielle.fitzko@state.vt.us
or 802-241-3673.
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