Located within a day's drive of more than 70 million people, the forest is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Visitors who come to enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, alpine and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and horseback riding provide the fuel for tourism-driven local economies.  In addition to providing recreation opportunities, the forest provides local jobs and is home to a wide array of wildlife.

Our Role

Bear wandering the woods of Vermont. Photo by Josh Rinehults/iStockphoto.comOver the years, the Fund has helped add more than 2,000 acres to the Green Mountain National Forest.  One of our biggest successes has been protecting the Green Mountain Bear Corridor, a critical north-south wildlife corridor for black bears and other free ranging species. These lands  connect  the two units of the national forest with other private and public conserved lands. Tracing the Green Mountains’ spine in south-central Vermont, this 20,000-acre expanse of forest habitat is now protected from fragmentation. This project, initiated by local citizens, took 12 years to complete and involved many partners including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Mt. Holly Conservation Trust, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Ninevah Foundation, the Vermont Land Trust, the State of Vermont, and the USDA Forest Service.

Brook running through the forest at Spruce Peak. Photo by Nancy Bell/The Conservation FundMost recently, we’ve helped the U.S. Forest Service acquire two large parcels of forestland totaling 1,270 acres that anchor the east and west boundaries of the Green Mountain National Forest. To the east, the 452-acre Jamaica Trust property protects important fish and wildlife habitat, recreational resources, and the Massey Brook watershed. To the west, the 819-acre Spruce Peak property protects two headwaters streams of the Batten Kill River watershed a nationally known premier fishing destination.  The property  conserves valuable fish and wildlife habitat and offers many opportunities for recreation.

Learn more

Green Mountain National Forest

Why Do Forests Matter?

At The Conservation Fund, we believe that well-managed forests can be both economically viable and ecologically sustainable, but like all other necessary parts of our national infrastructure, they need to be invested in and maintained. That's why, since 1985, we've protected more than a million forest acres across America. Protecting and maintaining working forests, and the communities that depend on them, remains one of our top conservation priorities.