Montgomery Woodlots Group
The Montgomery Woodlots group was formed in 2017. It is our largest group, spanning 16 parcels that cover over 4,000 acres in this single town--from the high-mountain spruce and fir forests along the spine of the Green Mountains, across the Trout River valley, and into the hills of the Cold Hollow range.
Many programs do not have a single theme and are led by Cold Hollow to Canada staff and board members. These "regular" programs have been supplemented with additional programs that are conducted by guest speakers. Here is a sampling of these programs:
- Foresters for the Birds, with Steve Hagenbuch of Vermont Audubon
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Programs, with Carissa Stein of NRCS
- Winter Tree ID with forester Charlie Hancock
- Spring Ephemeral Plants and Flowers, with Botanist Bob Popp of Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department
- Coyotes, with Joshua Morse of the University of Vermont
- Climate Forestry with guest Ali Kosiba, Climate Forester at Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
Landowner Spotlight: Everett McGinley
From their home in Montgomery, Everett and his wife Susan are surrounded by over 1000 acres of woodland, and by hosting several Woodlots gatherings on their land, they have opened up these woods to allow their neighbors to learn from their stewardship. Since they have now conserved their land with the Forest Legacy program, they can also rest assured that the intact forests they see around them will stay that way in perpetuity.
Everett was one of the original members of the Woodlots Program when it started in Montgomery in 2017. He says of the Woodlots Program, "The Woodlots program helps us to see the larger, landscape scale of our forests and how, on that scale, they support wildlife, clean air and water, species diversity, and the local forest products economy. We have learned about the natural and human history of our lands and land use and how we can improve that and become better stewards. We have benefitted from the expertise and financial support facilitated by CHC to help with climate change resiliency, forest health, and erosion prevention. It has been a tremendous help to us."
When the opportunity came to join his neighbors in testing out Vermont's first Forest Carbon Aggregation program, Everett volunteered. After a process of tremendous learning, he is starting to see the results of his enrollment in the program. He says, “On the one hand, you’re achieving some cash flow to help support your forest management goals. On the other hand, you’re doing something valuable for the planet in helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – so it’s a win-win, really.”