News

• 7/06/2023
  Reporter
  Warmer Temperatures, Less Snowpack May Limit Growth of Vermont Tree Species
  

  70-year growth rates of northeastern maple, beech, and birch reveal changes due to rising temperatures and altered rain and snow patterns.

• 5/18/2023
  Reporter
  Vermont Community Scientists Collect Lake Water Quality Data Available to the Public
  

  Online lake monitoring results and reports help the state prioritize management and help the public understand water quality trends.

• 3/10/2023
  Reporter
  Tree Seedling Survival in Extreme Weather Depends on Seed Size and Forest Floor Conditions
  

  Researchers tested 10 tree species to compare survival in extreme rain and drought events.

• 2/07/2023
  Reporter
  Mapping Vermont Moose Habitat Use to Aid Wildlife Managers
  

  Tracking radio-collared moose in the Northeast Kingdom pinpoints habitat hotspots for management consideration.

• 10/17/2022
  Reporter
  New Mapping Tool Identifies Vermont’s Environmentally Vulnerable Communities
  

  Vermont Environmental Disparity Index shows greater environmental risk in communities of color and low English proficiency.

• 9/21/2022
  Reporter
  Climate Change Impacts Phosphorus Loss From Tile-Drained Farm Fields
  

  More frequent severe drought and heavy rain events can lead to spikes in phosphorus export from tile drains in Vermont farm fields.

• 7/12/2022
  Reporter
  Floodplain Mapping Tool for Conservation and Restoration Planning
  

  Vermont land use planners and researchers can use new maps that show how different-sized floods will spread across river valleys.

• 4/07/2022
  Reporter
  Balancing Forest Carbon Storage and Wildlife Habitat
  

  Managing for a mosaic of diverse forest habitats across the northeastern U.S. creates a resilient landscape more adapted to climate change.

• 10/29/2021
  Reporter
  Invasive Alewife Impacts on Native Rainbow Smelt in Lake Champlain Depend on Environmental Condition
  

  In Lake Champlain, alewife compete with rainbow smelt in smaller basins with summer habitat limited by warm temperatures and low oxygen.

• 10/06/2021
  Reporter
  Mapping the Depth of Lake Champlain
  

  Middlebury researchers measure depths in Lake Champlain to produce a map for other researchers, lake managers, first responders, and lake enthusiasts.

• 6/21/2021
  Reporter
  How Might Vermont Forests Look in 200 Years Under a Changing Climate?
  

  Over the next 200 years, changing climate will likely cause shifts in tree species composition and health of Vermont and northeastern forests.

• 4/08/2021
  Reporter
  Comparing Soil and Stream Phosphorus Among Farms, Wetlands and Forests in Vermont
  

  In the Missisquoi River basin, soils in agricultural lands and adjacent streambanks have more phosphorus than soils in forests and their streambanks.

• 1/06/2021
  Reporter
  COVID-19 Increases Visitors to Urban Natural Areas
  

  Vermont study finds pandemic pushes people to seek refuge outdoors for the first time in years.

• 10/29/2020
  Reporter
  Will Red Oak Dominate Future Vermont Forests?
  

  Researchers studied tree rings to learn what conditions impact red oak growth and what this means in a warming climate.

• 6/24/2020
  Reporter
  Growing Edible Mushrooms Using Food Waste
  

  Food waste, diverted from the landfill, can be co-digested with dairy manure and used to cultivate protein-rich oyster mushrooms.

• 4/01/2020
  Reporter
  Vermont Has Conserved One Third of the Land Needed for an Ecologically Functional Future
  

  New study points to successes and gaps in the state’s landscape-level conservation design.

• 3/04/2020
  Reporter
  Blood Mercury Levels Unchanged Over 18 Years in Mt. Mansfield Thrushes
  

  Despite changes in mercury emissions and deposition rates, blood mercury levels in thrushes remained consistent.

• 10/03/2019
  Reporter
  History of Rare Champlain Valley Clayplain Forests in Vermont
  

  Remnants of rare clayplain oak forests shed light on how to restore them to the landscape.

• 4/04/2019
  Reporter
  Farm Manure Boosts Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Even in Winter
  

  Farm manure applications in spring and summer can dramatically increase greenhouse gas emissions in winter.

• 4/22/2018
  Reporter
  Managing Forests for Old Growth Traits Enhances Biodiversity and Carbon Storage
  

  Fifteen-year study mimicking natural forest disturbances to achieve old growth conditions increases biodiversity and carbon storage.

• 2/28/2018
  Reporter
  Vermont and New England Forests Face More Precipitation and Milder Winters
  

  Across New England and northern New York, tree species and forest communities face increasing threats under warmer and more variable conditions.

• 3/22/2017
  Reporter
  Vermont and the Northeast Hardest Hit by Imported Forest Pests
  

  Vermont and other northeastern states are hardest hit by imported forest pests, and national damage costs billions a year.

• 9/22/2016
  Reporter
  Earthworms in Forest Soils: The Bad and the Not So Bad
  

  Earthworms in forests make soils inhospitable for many tree seedlings and understory plants, but they may help to store carbon deep in the mineral soi

• 4/25/2016
  Reporter
  Conservative Tapping Guidelines Remain Sustainable for Healthy Overstory Maples
  

  Healthy, vigorously growing maple trees keep high yield sap extraction sustainable.

• 1/02/2016
  Reporter
  Use Value Appraisal Program Sparks Sustainable Forest Management on Vermont Family Forests
  

  Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal Program for forestland taxation encourages sustainable forest management on family-owned woodlots.

• 9/29/2015
  Reporter
  Community-Level Strategies for Land Use Planning and Forestland Conservation
  

  Web-based tools and user-friendly guides help Vermont communities and landowners make informed decisions about land use planning and conservation.

• 5/18/2015
  Reporter
  Winter Injury, Carbon Loss, but Surprising Growth Resurgence in Red Spruce
  

  Investigation into impacts of historic needle winter injury on tree growth and carbon storage turns up evidence of a growth resurgence in red spruce.

• 1/10/2015
  Reporter
  Restoration of American Chestnut in Northern Forests
  

  The American Chestnut was a prized forest species in the eastern U.S. until 100 years ago when a fungal blight was introduced.

• 10/28/2014
  Reporter
  Wood Bioenergy Harvesting Impacts on Carbon Emissions in the Northeast
  

  Demand for forest bioenergy, or biomass (firewood, wood chips, pellets), is increasing in Vermont and the Northeast.

• 9/04/2014
  Reporter
  Vermonters' "Acceptable" Levels of Town Development May Decrease Occurrence of Black Bear and Bobcat
  

  Development of natural land may pose a threat to native wildlife species in Vermont and globally.

Events