A Northeast Kingdom–based nonprofit plans to restore 3,200 acres of habitat for two bird species with a foundation grant.
The NorthWoods Stewardship Center, based in East Charleston, won $53,000 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on Aug. 19 to fund a forestry project in the Kingdom.
The three-year grant is meant to help the group restore 3,000 acres of mature forest habitat for the black-throated blue warbler and 200 acres of young forest habitat for the American woodcock, which are among species identified by the foundation as indicative of ecosystem health.
Though the Vermont Center for Ecostudies says both birds have recently seen population increases in the state, the National Audubon Society labels the two as priority species threatened by climate change.
Sam Perron, the NorthWoods center’s sustainable forestry coordinator, said that the restoration is more about the broader context of forests.
“We’re trying to look at — in a well-balanced, well-managed, ecologically intact forest — what percentage of those habitats would exist,” Perron said.
Restoring habitat for the American woodcock, which are “highly dependent upon young regenerating forests,” might mean finding existing areas of young forest and expanding them by cutting down older trees, Perron said.
The warbler, meanwhile, benefits from older forests — ones that “look the way that forests in Vermont should,” said Perron.
That includes a mix of tree heights, standing dead trees and trees that have fallen to the ground, he said.
The grant funds are also intended to help the nonprofit supplement conservation-management plans for 50 landowners in northeastern Vermont, free of cost.
That will let landowners get a better assessment of wildlife habitat on their properties, Perron said.
“Really, the way to engage people and get them active on their land … is to spend time out there assessing the habitat,” he said.
In the past, he said, “there was kind of this notion that, if you own forest, you were cutting timber on it.”
Now, in surveys, most private landowners are excited about maintaining habitats for wildlife, he said.
“I expect we’ll reach more than (50) over three years,” he said.
Perron said his group is partnering with Audubon’s chapter in Vermont and the state Fish and Wildlife Department for the project.
The Audubon chapter will provide specific habitat assessment for the two bird species, and NorthWoods plans to use a data tool developed by the state agency to view individual properties within the context of the broader landscape and forest systems — and determine how intact they are.
“By knowing that, they can adjust their management or adjust how they’re using their property to support this larger scale,” Perron said of landowners.
