A Charitable Idea and Tax Savings Like many other VWA members, I turned 70 ½ in 2018 and was faced with my first annual mandatory Individual Retirement Account (IRA) distribution. And as 2018 draws to a close, I first must determine if I will itemize or not when deciding on charitable donations in 2018. Fortunately,
Read More...The Care and Maintenance of Wild Apple Trees in Vermont In 1900, Vermont was about 75% open farm land and only about 25% forest. Since then, the percentages have reversed and Vermont is now about 75% forest land. During that transition period, thousands of acres of open farm land reverted, through a process known
Read More...Exploring New Market Opportunities Across Value Chains: The Working Lands Enterprise Board contracted with Yellow Wood Associates to undertake a sector-wide systems analysis. The Board wanted to improve its understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the sector in order to inform its strategic investments through annual grant making. It has been the blueprint for
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This report was completed in 2011, with broad support from industry members. How well did the sector do in achieving the outcomes envisioned in the report? Are there ideas that have yet to be fleshed out. Read The Report: Click Here
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The Working Lands Enterprise Board provides grants to working lands businesses that rely on our natural resources. The Annual Report for 2017 features the grant recipients and the exciting business projects that have been implemented around the state. Read the full report. Kathleen Wanner, Vermont Woodlands Executive Director, has served on the Working Lands Board
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From National Woodlands Association, Winter 2017 Issue Tax Reform Issues for Forest Landowners and the Forest Products Industry Taxes have been consistently listed as one of the top concerns for the nation’s 10+ million individual and family private forest owners. Ultimately, taxes play an important role in influencing forest investment, land tenure, ownership structure, timber
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The Month of May Remained Wet and Relatively Chilly Vermont had some cool, wet episodes this month (or maybe just one long one?), including a May nor’easter that brought four inches of snow to parts of the state on May 13-14. Much of the Northeast continues to deal with unseasonably cold weather and above normal
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Did you know… Vermont is 78% forested with 4.5 million acres of forest. 2.7 million acres of wooded land in Vermont is owned by 76,000 family ownerships The average family-owned woodland in Vermont is 35 acres Scientists estimate that there are between 24,000 and 43,000 species of higher plants, algae, fungi, lichens, invertebrates, and vertebrate
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Protecting Vermont’s Woodlands from Invasive Pests Background: Vermont’s forests and woodlands are under attack from invasive (non-native) forest pests – plants, insects, and diseases. These pests impact forests at a massive scale nationwide, destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of United States forests and woodlands each year. Invasive pests often enter the United States through
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Public Policy Issue Brief: Renewable Wood Energy from Vermont Forests Background: Private forests have great potential to contribute to the next generation of Vermont energy use, through the increased utilization of wood as a component of a renewable energy portfolio. Vermont has a long tradition of burning wood for heat in the form of firewood.
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