Collaboration
embarks on forest venture By ED BARNA Herald Correspondent |
MONKTON
- From one part of the Little Hogback Community Forest, it is possible
to look down and see Bristol Pond. Click the link below for the full article from the Rutland Herald: |
December 16, 2004
By Angelo S. Lynn, Editor, Addison Independent
From the Editorial page
A new concept in land management is being launched by Vermont Family Forests, a local non-profit, in which area residents will have an opportunity to buy a share of forestland -- all for a modest price and a modest return.
The goal of the project is to allow Vermont residents not only to own a piece of land – and thereby become more educated stewards – but also to insure that the already-conserved land is used productively.
The idea is a unique twist on the concept of conservation. Rather than taking land out of production and putting it into conservation, the project is taking land that is conserved and devising a way that a locally-owned cooperative, so to speak, can reap a small profit on the land through active management.
The first project, to be known as Little Hogback Community Forest, LLC, is a 115-acre parcel in Monkton. About sixteen shares will be created and sold at less than $3000 each. (See story Page 1A.) The parcel is under the management of the Vermont Land Trust, which will continue to hold an easement on the property, ensuring that it will never be developed.
If the program is successful, the VLT and VFF will look at other parcels around the state in which to replicate the idea. And if that works well, look for Vermont to have launched the beginning of another movement that quietly sweeps across the nation making steady steps of progress.