Why Forests matter…

Forests are integral to our landscape here in Vermont. Forests mixed with productive agricultural land have become the hallmark of our communities, providing for our needs on a relatively local scale. Healthy forests not only provide tangible forest products, they also provide a connective network for plants and animals to move across the landscape. In the face of climate change, preserving these forest blocks and the routes that connect them, is of great importance.

It is this impetuous that led Merck Forest and Farmland Center to think outside of it’s 3,200 acres of forest land and seek to protect and promote forest connectivity more broadly in the region. In partnership with the Bennington County Conservation District and the High Meadows Fund, this project seeks to provide a tangible, grassroots effort raise awareness about forest connectivity and connect forest landowners with resources and professionals which teach and promote wise forest management. Our upcoming posts will log our journey and invite you to join us in an effort to protect the Taconic Mountains that we love, work and live in.