Presenter- Ethan Tapper, Chittenden County Forester
Old Forests:
What They Are, Why They're Important, and Opportunities for Management
Monday, January 31- Virtual Presentation
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Register here: https://www.mofga.org/event-calendar/old-forests-what-they-are/

Old forests are forested ecosystems which have developed somewhat independently for a long time, usually at least several centuries. In addition to demonstrating how forests naturally grow and develop, old forests provide unique benefits – they are often diverse and resilient and provide unique habitat opportunities for wildlife. Old forests are extremely uncommon on New England's landscape, as the vast majority of our forests have been cleared at some point in the last 200 years.

In addition to allowing forests to grow and develop old forest conditions on their own, new research has highlighted opportunities to manage forests actively to become more like old forests – providing many of the benefits of old forests sooner than they would naturally occur. This presents an opportunity to manage forests while increasing biodiversity, resilience and the overall health of forests on our landscape.

Join Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for a virtual presentation by Ethan Tapper, the Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Ethan will discuss what eastern old forests are like (it may surprise you!), why they should be important to us, how we can manage forests to be more like old forests, and how managed and unmanaged forests on our landscape can be completely compatible and even complimentary.

Jan 18, 2025, 10 AM to 2 PM

Jan 18, 2025, 6 to 8 PM

Jan 19, 2025, 4 to 6 PM