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Andrews Community Forest

Meets the 4th Monday of the month in the evening unless specified otherwise. Please see Front Porch Forum announcements or the town calendar (https://www.richmondvt.gov/calendar) for start time and Zoom link.

The Andrews Community Forest Committee is currently seeking to fill vacant seats. Interested parties should submit a letter of interest to Assistant to the Town Manager Duncan Wardwell at dwardwell@ richmondvt.gov. Please also fill out this form along with a letter of interest. 

There is one seat that is nominated by the Trails Committee. Letters of interest will be sent to all three committees for consideration. The nominations along with letters from all interested parties will then be forwarded to the Selectboard. The Selectboard will make the final appointments. 

The Richmond Town Forest was established in 2018. Through the generosity of the Andrews family, the Town acquired and conserved 428 acres of forestland and farmland through the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. This land will be protected as a Town Forest in perpetuity.

Proposed updates to the management plan

Proposed updates available for review via the following documents.

VELCO work

VELCO will be maintaining the power lines that run through the Andrews Community Forest May-December 2023. VELCO has a longstanding easement supporting access to and work on the lines.

Activities will include maintenance on one transmission tower, managing plants with the potential to interfere with the lines when larger, and removing a small number of trees that pose a threat to the lines. VELCO staff will also be eliminating invasive plants growing along the transmission lines. Active work areas will be within the transmission line area and will be easily visible to forest visitors. 

Please see minutes and ​​​​​​​f​​​​​​​i​​​​​​​l​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​s​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​a​​​​​​​s​​​​​​​s​​​​​​​o​​​​​​​c​​​​​​​iated with the April 24 2023 meeting for additional information (link).

Andrews Community Forest Committee Members

9 members – 3-year term

MembersTerm StartTerm EndType
Wright Preston20212024Appointment
Melissa Wolaver20222025Appointment
Bradford Elliott – Conservation Commission Recommendation20232026Appointment
Daniel Schmidt – Co-Chair, RCC Representative & Communications Assistant, richmondtownforest at gmail.com20212024Appointment
Chase Rosenberg – Trails Committee Representative20222025Appointment
Ian Stokes - Co-Chair, richmondtownforest at gmail.com20232026Appointment
Cecelia Danks20222025Appointment
VACANT - Trails Committee Recommendation20212024Appointment
Julian Portilla 20232026Appointment

Upcoming Meetings

Access upcoming meeting documents by clicking on the meeting.

Meeting & Document Archives

Materials related to the proposed trail route

During the February 28, 2022 ACF Committee meeting, the committee reviewed trail route options considering significant public input over the previous months, the management plan, the initial ecology and trail report, and a follow up ecology and trail report (all materials available via the links below). During the meeting, the committee voted to propose a modified trail route in ACF. This proposed route differs from the previously proposed route in one way: it does not include the western most of the three parallel trails in the northeast quadrant of the forest (referred to as “Ridgetop” in the initial trail report). The committee made this edit to the proposed route in response to public concern about its proximity to a sensitive ecological zone, retaining the two trails in the northeast quadrant farther from that zone to retain the potential for trail users to have a loop route in that area.

Materials

Public comment on the proposed route

In addition to input from the community during all committee meetings, the ACFC has had two structured public comment periods. Outputs from those structured comment periods is below.

  • P​​​​​​​u​​​​​​​b​​​​​​​l​​​​​​​i​​​​​​​c​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​c​​​​​​​o​​​​​​​m​​​​​​​m​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​n​​​​​​​t​​​​​​​s​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​r​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​l​​​​​​​a​​​​​​​t​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​d​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​t​​​​​​​o​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​t​​​​​​​h​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​M​​​​​​​a​​​​​​​r​​​​​​​c​​​​​​​h​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​2​​​​​​​9​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​p​​​​​​​u​​​​​​​b​​​​​​​l​​​​​​​i​​​​​​​c​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​m​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​e​​​​​​​t​​​​​​​i​​​​​​​n​​​​​​​g​​​​​​​, report by third-party facilitoar Melissa Levy ​​​​​​​-​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​March 29 2023 public event comments report
  • Public comments related to proposed trail route and committee responses - ACF trail proposal comments spring 2022_v.220531

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Maps

Annual Report

    Ongoing management actions

    Trail Design

    The town contracted with an ecological assessment company and a trail design company to develop a route for additional trails in Andrews Community Forest. Trails will be designed to support the needs of multiple user types (e.g., bikers, hikers, etc.) and the natural communities present in the forest.

    This resulted in a proposed trail route represented in the report and map at arrowwoodvt.com/acf/. This is the document presented by Arrowwood and Sinuosity in the August 28, 2021 public meeting when it was approved by the committee in a vote 6 in favor, 2 against, 1 abstention.

    2020-21 Forest Management at the Andrews Community Forest

    Per the Andrews Community Forest (ACF)’s Forest Management Plan, a forest management project began in September 2020 in Stands 3, 4, and 6 (in the eastern portion of the property). This project will be underway through March, 2021, and perhaps again from August – November 2021. A major objective of the project is to provide opportunities for everyone to learn about forest management in an open, transparent and inclusive way. While COVID-19 means that public events at the ACF this year will be largely virtual, numerous opportunities will be provided for you to learn about this project, and we will resume in-person events as soon as it is safe to do so:

    • Stay tuned to Front Porch Forum, the Andrews Community Forest Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AndrewsCommunityForest) or email the Chittenden County Forester (ethan.tapper@ vermont.gov) to join his mailing list;
    • Join us for our virtual event series, discussing the forest management project at the ACF with a focus on wildlife, Emerald Ash Borer, birds, carbon and climate change, and ecology and conservation. These events will feature a diverse group of partners, including Vermont Fish and Wildlife, Vermont’s Urban and Community Forestry program, Vermont Audubon, the Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Coverts, Vermont Woodlands Association and the Richmond Free Library.
    • You can follow along with the progress of the job by watching regular short videos on the “Andrews Community Forest” Playlist on the Chittenden County Forester’s YouTube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AanLRDAm3UE&list=PLWk3DKdWmNIb5VOql7MqxJ09GqXg0kPVl. Recordings of all of the webinars and online events associated with this project will also be stored on this page, for you to watch at your convenience.
    • Map of forest management areas: ACF forest management marking map 071520
    • Read the Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation’s press release on the project, here: https://fpr.vermont.gov/news/andrews-community-forest-management

    For more details on the planned work, see the ACF’s Forest Management Plan on this page. Please contact ethan.tapper@vermont.gov or richmondtownforest@gmail.com if you have any questions about this project.

      Management Plans

      The “Management Plan” that was approved in 2018 (see link below) provides general goals, objectives and administrative details for the management of the parcel.

      Below are links to the management plan and associated files.

      Forestry Management Plan

      The “Forestry Management Plan” is an addendum to the “Management Plan,” providing specific data and information on the management of forested stands at the Andrews Community Forest. This document focuses on forestry and ecological management (other documents related to the "Management Plan" above relate to holistic management of the parcel including recreation).

      Other files