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Act 171 and Planning for Forest Blocks and Habitat Connectors

Act 171 amended Vermont Planning Statutes to encourage and allow municipalities to address protection of forest blocks and habitat connectors while supporting the local forest products industry. Learn more about how to identify regionally and locally significant forest blocks and habitat connectors by reviewing the resources linked below.

Forests Matter Video Series

This video series is intended to support municipal and regional planning efforts for forest integrity by providing an overview of the planning process, highlighting tools and resources, and providing examples of successful planning at the local level. 

Guidance Documents

Websites

  • BioFinder. ANR's database and mapping tool used to identify Vermont's lands and waters that support important ecosystems, natural communities, habitats, and species. 
  • VT Parcelization Website. Interactive data and research from the Vermont Natural Resources Council about recent decreasing trends in the acreage of large forest blocks in Vermont.
  • Forest Types and Species Data. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative project and datasets to map forest species mixes across Vermont.
  • Forest Conservation Probability Data. Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative project to model the probability of change in forest cover between 2015 and 2060.

Webinars