2015 Forest Fragmentation Report Link to ANR Report at http://fpr.vermont.gov/sites/fpr/files/About_the_Department/News/Library/FOREST%20FRAGMENTATION_FINAL_rev06-03-15.pdf Act 61 requires the Commissioner of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to consult with interested stakeholders and to develop proposed legislation for implementing the policy options contained within the Department’s 2015 Vermont Forest Fragmentation Report.

FOREST VALUES Vermont’s Forests Work for All Move relatively quickly through these statements of values Vermont’s Forests Work for All Photos © Susan C. Morse

Forest Products Economy  Forest Products Economy $1.4 billion in economic output to Vermont’s economy Employs 10,555 people 8% of the state’s manufacturing value

Economics of Scenery, Fall Foliage, Tourism and Recreation © Susan C. Morse Economics of Scenery, Fall Foliage, Tourism and Recreation $1.9 billion in annual sales from forest–based recreation 46% attributed to fall foliage 704 million in wildlife-based recreation activities 37,000 tourism jobs, accounts for 11.5% of state employment 10,050 forest-based recreation jobs 4,400 hunting and fishing jobs

Flood Protection, Clean Water Supply, and Clean Air Tempers frequency, intensity, and extent of flooding Lowers peak flows and volumes of runoff Filters waters impurities Removes significant amount of fine particulate matter from the air Reduces the need for costly infrastructure to clean water and air

Wildlife and Biodiversity Food resources Cover including shelters and structures Shading and cooling efforts to temper moisture fluctuations Space to access food, breeding areas, and safe travel pathways Habitats to sustain diverse populations of plants and animals Photos © Susan C. Morse

Climate Change Mitigation Remove and store massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions Sequester 8 MMTCO2e per year, almost as much as our emissions $16 million in air pollution removal Photos © Susan C. Morse

Human Health, Quality of Life, and Cultural Heritage Improve human health including improved mood, blood pressure, and immune system Contributes to quality of life Working landscape and recreation heritage is valued by Vermonters

FOREST FRAGMENTATION TERMINOLOGY Intact Parcelized Parcelized and Fragmented Center for Land Use Education and Research. University of Connecticut

  DRIVERS OF FOREST PARCELIZATION AND FRAGMENTATION DRIVERS Key to understand the underlying drivers of fragmentation. Best bet to inform policy development. FRAGMENTTION DRIVERS Escalating property values and land prices • Increased property taxes • Conveyance of land from aging landowners • Exurbanization “A Snapshot of the Northeastern Forests,” USDA Forest Service publication, October 2005

Mechanisms OF FRAGMENTATION COVERSION OF FOREST TO NON-FOREST USES Linear Infrastructure DEVELOPMENT Photo, Above and Beyond. Campoli, J., Humstone, E., & MacLean, A. 2002

FRAGMENTATION 2003 1966

PATTERNS MATTER Less fragmented forest in rural community Notes from Jen’s slides the pattern of where there is forest or other habitat matters. The pic at left is forest cover in Killington and Bridgewater while the pic at right is of Hartland. Left is a bigger block of contiguous forest. Hartland is a rural town with no zoning and an even amount of low density development along all these rural roads. The net effect is a pattern of tiny forest blocks. That pattern means that the don’t get Moose or Bear or other deep forest species in Hartland. Less fragmented forest in rural community More intensely fragmented in a rural community

EDGE EFFECT ISOLATION EFFECT

POLICY OPTIONS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH The people of Vermont have much to gain from building on recent progress by recommitting to land conservation, re-visioning land-use planning and policy efforts, and promoting a sustainable forest economy. CONSERVATION LANDOWNER INCENTIVES Fortunately, not necessarily new. Has occurred elsewhere. Has been discussed here. Options exist. Report spells them out in great detail. For brevity, outlining them here. LAND USE PLANNING SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY AND VERMONT FOREST ECONOMY

Monitoring Forest Fragmentation National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) = 30m Pixel Updated every 5 years with % change calculations from previous version Misses the isolated (single house) development typical of VT Misses small roads Unsuitable for monitoring VT Forest Fragmentation NOAA CCAP 2006

Monitoring Forest Fragmentation Need a regularly updated dataset with finer scale resolution to track forest fragmentation Habitat Blocks (2011 Sorenson & Osborne) is a good product but based on NOAA CCAP (30m pixel) with standardized road buffers to create “blocks”