Join this webinar to explore how Vermont’s town forests grew from working lands into vital places of community, history, and stewardship.

Town forests are among Vermont’s most enduring and community-driven landscapes. Created for practical needs like timber, water protection, and municipal benefit, they have also become places of recreation, stewardship, and shared local identity. This webinar explores the history and evolution of town forests in Vermont and across New England, with particular attention to their role as cultural landscapes shaped by generations of community values, labor, and use.

Participants will learn how town forests emerged, how their purposes have evolved over time, and how current efforts are working to document and preserve their social histories alongside their ecological values. The program will feature insights from a recent town forest census as well as examples of municipally owned and managed forests to illustrate how history, management, and community engagement intersect on the ground.

Panelists:

  • Robert McCullough: Professor Emeritus, University of Vermont

  • Cecilia Danks: Associate Professor, University of Vermont

  • Bob Heiser: Project Director, Vermont Land Trust
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The Vermont Land Trust welcomes all people regardless of background or identity.