Did you realize that approximately 86 percent of southeastern Vermont is forested? It has been estimated that annual tree growth in Windham County exceeds 20 million cubic feet.
These forests provide a livelihood for many people through wood harvesting, wood products, hunting, tourism, and maple products. Forests are one of the region's most valuable renewable resources and contribute greatly to the region's economy and authentic sense of place, not to mention their fundamental role in water quality.
The commercially important forest species in the region are sugar maple, white pine, white ash, red oak, and birch. More than 100 million board feet of hardwood lumber is reportedly produced in Vermont each year.
In 2010, Windham County ranked first in the state for total sawlog and veneer log harvest with 22.996 million board feet. The county is typically ranked in the top four counties for overall saw-timber harvest, leading the state in 2010 in the harvest of red oak (2.807 million board feet) and second in the state in white pine (8.310 million board feet), two important species for the state in terms of value and yield.