Municipalities protect land for town forests through donations, purchases, and conservation easements. While some land conservation projects are proactive and strategically focused on known conservation values, other land acquisitions are reactive and opportunistic as local land becomes available for purchase or conservation.
Many land trusts statewide can help secure land for municipal ownership or conservation. Consult the resource links below to learn more and access knowledgeable staff at some of these organizations. Additionally, current Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding is creating special opportunities for municipal land preservation. Contact Gannon.Osborn@vermont.gov to find out about Forest Legacy and Community Forestry Program funding through the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
Interested in learning about the importance of town forest locations as wildlife corridors and essential habitat blocks? Explore Vermont Conservation Design using the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources BioFinder mapping tool and contact Jens.Hilke@vermont.gov for more assistance.
Resources: Creating a Town Forest
All Vermont communities have the potential to own a town forest. Strong and active organizations are ready to provide technical and financial assistance to create and steward town forests.
- Acquiring and Managing A Community-Owned Forest: A Manual for Communities (Communities Committee, 2008)
- Community Forestry Program
- County Foresters
- Land Trusts working in Vermont
- Northern Forest Center
- Trust for Public Land (or read a short overview in Town Hall in the Woods: Community Forest Program)
- Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
- Vermont Land Trust (read a sample town forest conservation easement)