Protecting Vermont’s Woodlands from Invasive Pests

Vermont’s forests and woodlands are under attack from invasive (non-native) forest pests, including plants, insects and diseases. These pests impact forests on a massive scale nationwide, destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of U.S. forests each year. 

Invasive pests often enter the United States through international trade routes and human travel. They’re then spread throughout forest ecosystems by the transport of firewood, the shipping of wood products and packaging material and the movement of plants such as nursery stock.

Private woodland owners, who own roughly 80% of Vermont’s forests and woodlands, are significantly affected by these invasive pests. Invasive pests don’t limit their infestation to ownership boundaries, causing destruction equally to publicly-owned forests, parks and family-owned woodlands. For a family woodland owner, a forest pest infestation can mean:

• The loss of their treasured woodland.

• A severe reduction in income from their land.

• Destruction of wildlife habitat they worked hard to create.

The damage caused by invasive species to our communities, environment and economy is tremendous. It is estimated to cost over $138 billion annually in losses, including:

• The forest products industry.

• The tourism and recreation industries, which rely on forests.

• Personal income for woodland owners.

While more difficult to quantify, the environmental impact includes:

• Damaged watersheds.

• Destruction of critical wildlife habitat.

• Complete obliteration of tree species, such as the American Chestnut, which was essentially eliminated from the forest landscape in the mid-1900s by an invasive fungus, chestnut blight.

Forests have faced pest threats for centuries. However, increasing globalization, including global trade and travel, has significantly raised invasive forest pest infestations in the last decade. At the same time, this globalization has opened new market opportunities for family woodland owners to generate income.

Vermont Woodlands Association Policy

Vermont Woodlands Association (VWA) supports policies and programs that:

• Prevent, detect, control, and eradicate invasive forest pests and pathogens in Vermont and across the nation’s woodlands.

• Fund efforts to restore forest species severely affected by non-native insects, plant pathogens or other organisms, as defined in Section 403(14) of the Plant Protection Act.

Public Policy Goals

Vermont Woodlands Association, working with its partners and networks, will advance policy initiatives that:

• Improve funding for federal, state and local efforts, including public awareness campaigns, to prevent the introduction of invasive forest pests and pathogens.

• Increase funding for detection and eradication programs, particularly in family-owned woodlands, to minimize the impact of invasive species.

• Support research and development programs aimed at both public and private sectors, ensuring robust scientific and genetic research to implement invasive species response mechanisms quickly.

Policy Approval

Vermont Woodlands Association is a non-profit (501(c)(3)) association dedicated to the health and enhancement of Vermont’s working forests. Through education, outreach, and advocacy, we are a Voice for Healthy Forests in the Green Mountain State.

Protecting Vermont’s Woodlands from Invasive Pests was approved by the VWA Board of Directors on February 17, 2017.