Shutesville Speaker Series discusses Family Forest Carbon Program on Nov. 15

Nov. 11, 2022  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

An aerial view of the Shutesville corridor. Courtesy photo

The Waterbury Conservation Commission, Stowe Land Trust and the Shutesville Hill Wildlife Corridor Partnership announce the return of their free in-person conservation education programs on Nov. 15 at Zenbarn in Waterbury Center. 

Jim Shallow, Director of Strategic Conservation Initiatives at the Nature Conservancy, will discuss the Family Forest Carbon Program. 

Developed by The Nature Conservancy and the American Forest Foundation, the program enables property owners with qualifying forest land of 30 or more acres to access carbon markets by conserving or managing their forest land. The program allows landowners to help address climate change while earning income from their land and it is available to qualifying landowners throughout Vermont.

"Until now, carbon markets were essentially closed to private landowners because of their complexity and high up-front costs," Shallow said. "This program eliminates some of those barriers, and provides an economic incentive for Vermont landowners to manage their forests in climate-friendly ways."

The speaker series is a way for local conservation groups to provide informative programs that assist landowners seeking to conserve their forest land and to educate the public on the important wildlife corridor that runs along Vermont Route 100 near the Waterbury-Stowe border. 

The program starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday,  Nov. 15, at Zenbarn. The presentation is free although seating is limited so registration is appreciated. Direct any questions to Barry Matthews at Barry@stowelandtrust.org. Register online on the Stowe Land Trust website.