Farm & Wilderness Foundation

Farm & Wilderness Foundation stewards approximately 4,500 acres of forestland across Plymouth and Mt. Holly, Vermont, balancing sustainable timber production, wildlife habitat enhancement, and educational opportunities for campers and staff. The organization employs forest management practices designed to mimic natural forest succession, selectivel... y harvesting mature trees to create open spaces where seedling trees can establish and thrive, while removing trees that inhibit the growth of higher-quality specimens. This approach generates timber revenue through sales to local sawmills while preserving wood for on-site building projects, including structures such as the Dairy Barn at Tamarack Farm. Farm & Wilderness actively engages campers in habitat restoration work, including clearing around abandoned apple orchards to increase sunlight exposure and creating small forest patches to promote aspen regenerationyoung aspen trees and associated grasses and forbs provide critical food sources and shelter for diverse wildlife species. A key strength of the organization's forestry program is its ability to create varied forest age classes across its managed lands, addressing a regional challenge in Vermont where forests are generally uniform in age due to widespread farm abandonment around the turn of the twentieth century. By intentionally maintaining patches of different forest ages, Farm & Wilderness increases the diversity of wildlife habitats available to native species while demonstrating sustainable land stewardship principles. The foundation's forestry operations are led by an experienced forester with deep Vermont roots, agricultural training from the University of Massachusetts, and two decades of hands-on dairy farming experience in the state. This combination of professional forestry expertise, community engagement through educational programming, and commitment to ecological balance positions Farm & Wilderness as a model for responsible forest management that integrates economic productivity with ...Read More