MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont forestry and wildlife officials earlier this week released final management plans for Vermont’s Worcester Range, an 18,000-acre ridge encompassing Mount Hunger, the popular Stowe Pinnacle, and Worcester and Elmore Mountains. The plan, which is the result of years of work and thousands of public comments, attempts to balance recreation, conservation, and logging.
It’s that special time of the year when the Green Mountain State explodes in brilliant hues of orange and red.
“When that sun hits that foliage it is just remarkable,” said Jeff Purdy, a visitor from Iowa who is among the thousands of leaf peepers attracted to recreation hotspots like the Stowe Pinnacle trail. “Some of God’s best creation right here and we get to take it all in.”
Steve St. Onge of Colchester and his four-legged hiking partner Remy are also taking full advantage. “Pinnacle is a nice easy hike and it gets a lot of tourists because of that,” he said. “The rest of the Worcester range doesn’t get as much traffic and there’s some really interesting hikes,” he said.
The state this week issued a new plan to maintain the mountain range for the next two decades. “It’s multi-objective and we hope Vermonters see themselves in the plan,” said Vermont Forest Parks and Recreation Commissioner Danielle Fitzko. She says the plan permanently protects half of the Worcester range from future use and creates levels of management — from moderate use to heavier development — like Elmore State Park. “It considers climate change, it considers wildlife habitat, it considers recreation, it considers water quality.”
Though the plan has support from many environmental and wildlife organizations, some remain concerned that it could lead to more timber harvesting and logging. “Apparently, the very small amount of timber that would come out of the Worcester range — compared to what we harvest annually across Vermont’s private lands — is more important than the flood protection benefits for downstream communities,” said Zack Porter with the group Standing Trees. who worries opening up 1,900 acres to logging old-growth forests is a mistake.
But state officials say the timber industry is important, too, and that they are trying to encourage a diverse landscape to promote a healthy ecosystem for today and into the future “When you’re looking at a landscape scale, it’s like your bank account — you want to have it in different parts and diversity. So, we are building a more resilient forest for the future,” Fitzko said.
A plan for the future of a beloved mountain range and its multiple users.