The University of Vermont (UVM) acquired a total of 750 acres from conservation organizations and generous landowners in spring 2019 to add to its current UVM Natural Areas and UVM Forest properties in Vermont. The University owns and manages ten natural areas and four forests for use by students, faculty, and the public. 

“These significant UVM land acquisitions will help support the University and State of Vermont in their research, teaching, conservation, and recreation efforts,” said Julianne Heisler, Real Estate Manager with UVM Campus Planning Services, who administered the land transactions. 

UVM Forests

Washington Forest in the town of Washington, managed by the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, gained an additional 50 acres of conserved land from an adjacent landowner to increase the total forest area to more than 100 acres. The Vermont Land Trust turned the added property, previously owned by Roger Bales, over to UVM in June 2019. Prior to acquiring this parcel, UVM had a relationship with Mr. Bales for many years during which he had a right-of-way through the forest to access his cabin. 

“The addition of the Bales Property greatly enhances our ability to provide students with hands-on experience practicing stewardship and conservation of northern hardwood forests in Vermont,” said Tony D’Amato, Rubenstein School faculty member and Director of UVM Forests. “It also significantly bolsters opportunities for research and demonstration of cutting-edge forest management techniques to address challenges facing Vermont’s forests in the form of invasive species and changing environmental conditions.” 

During the 1970s at Washington Forest, UVM forest researchers studied regeneration and growth of high value hardwood trees. Today, this classic northern hardwood forest serves as a study site for Rubenstein School research on global climate change including a future adapted tree seedling study led by Professor D’Amato. The forest also serves as part of a network of forest sensor sites across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in a new, multimillion-dollar National Science Foundation-funded project. 

In addition to Washington Forest, the Rubenstein School operates three other forests for teaching, research, and demonstration. These include the 83-acre Talcott Forest in Williston; the 130-acre Wolcott Research Forest in Wolcott; and the 476-acre Jericho Research Forest in Jericho, the site of the historic Thompson House. Rubenstein School faculty and students use the forests for many Rubenstein School course outdoor laboratories and the Forestry Program's summer field camp. 

UVM Natural Areas

Managed separately from the UVM Forests, the UVM Natural Areas are overseen by the UVM Environmental Program. The Natural Areas, which include the campus’ nearby Centennial Woods Natural Area and the summit of Mt. Mansfield, serve as resources for classes, field research, and as examples of land conservation stewardship. This spring, the University received additional properties to expand the Carse Wetlands Natural Area in Hinesburg, Colchester Bog in Colchester, and the H. Laurence Achilles Natural Area at Shelburne Pond. 

“Our natural areas are used by hundreds of UVM students each semester, an unknown number of local and regional tourists, and partner organizations like The Nature Conservancy and Audubon Vermont for events and outreach,” said faculty member Brendan Fisher, Director of UVM Natural Areas and the UVM Environmental Program. “More land for the Natural Areas means more connections between our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors with our local natural heritage. Fostering these connections is particularly important in Chittenden County where the chances to experience relatively untouched bogs, wetlands, and mosaic landscapes like that around Shelburne Pond are decreasing.”

The H. Laurence Achilles Natural Area at Shelburne Pond, the University’s largest natural area, contains upland forests and wetlands along the shores of Shelburne Pond, the largest undeveloped body of water in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Since 1973, The Nature Conservancy and UVM have partnered to piece together the natural area that protects the shoreline and associated wetlands. More than 100 species of birds live in nearby forests and fields, and beavers, otters, and muskrats inhabit the pond. Records of native people subsisting on the land date back thousands of years, and archaeological discoveries include arrowheads, potsherds, and two 400-year-old canoes. 

In May 2019, The Nature Conservancy transferred an adjacent 48-acre parcel, located in Shelburne and South Burlington and previously put into conservation by the family of the late John Ewing, to the H. Laurence Achilles Natural Area at Shelburne Pond, which now encompasses about 1,000 acres. A broader partnership with the Vermont Housing Conservation Board, Town of Shelburne, and City of South Burlington contributed substantially to this transaction. Acquisition of the historically significant parcel, which has evidence of human activity dating back 11,000 years, further protects water quality, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and archaeological value of Shelburne Pond.  

Carse Wetlands Natural Area, a mix of upland forests, fields, wetlands, and a beaver pond, contains significant ecological features in unusual natural communities, such as a red maple-northern white cedar swamp, and several rare plants. The family of the late Henry H. Carse donated the original property to UVM for educational purposes in partnership with the Vermont Land Trust and Hinesburg Land Trust in 2013. The land transfer protected natural features and ensured that the property remained undeveloped and open to the public. In June 2019, UVM obtained more than 105 acres of additional adjacent land, also conserved through the Vermont Land Trust, to expand the natural area to more than 330 acres. 

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, UVM originally acquired Colchester Bog in 1973. In March 2019, Charlotte B. and Bradley C. Gardner of Gardner Construction in Colchester donated an additional eight acres to UVM to bring the Colchester Bog Natural Area to more than 200 acres in size. 

Colchester Bog consists of an open mat of sphagnum moss and sedges, shrub and tree-covered swamps and uplands, and open water areas called lags. Rare tree and shrub species include pitch pine, black spruce, mountain holly, sheep laurel, and Labrador tea. A boardwalk and observation deck of wooden planks on plastic floats allow students, visitors, and researchers access and minimize impacts of trampling on the bog. 

Learn more about UVM Natural Areas and UVM Forests.