Green Mountain National Forest is a national forest located in Vermont which supports a variety of wildlife, including beaver, moose, black bear, and white tailed deer. It also supports an abundant variety of bird species. The forest has been referred to as the 'granite backbone' of the state. The forest was established in 1932, as a result of uncontrolled overlogging, fire and flooding[1]. It consists of more than 400,000 acres; and is the biggest contiguous land mass in the state. Split into the southwest and central areas, the forest has a total of eight wilderness areas. These were designated by Congress beginning with the Wilderness Act of 1964 to be areas off limits to mechanized gear down to and including bicycles. If Finger Lakes National Forest is included within it, GMNF is one of only two national forest northeast of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey barrier.
In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Bennington, Addison, Rutland, Windham, Windsor, and Washington counties. Why the official forest map covers maybe half of Bennington county; and why Rand McNally maps have the forest covering all of aforesaid county is not presently clear. The forest headquarters are in Rutland, Vermont, alongside those of Finger Lakes National Forest in New York.[2]
The Forest benefitted from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)of 2008. More typical forest revenue might come from Recreation fees (such as Mt Snow, Stratton and Bromley) and Timber sales. Some 429 acres were set for forest regeneration in 2009. The bulk of expenditures might go towards Road Construction, Recreation/Wilderness & Heritage, and Wildlife/Fish Management. Projects in the latter category might include: land/water modification in support of Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkeys, Bear; Trout and Salmon; Bicknell's Thrush; and the plant Jacob's Ladder. The Emerald Ash Borer and the Long Horned Beetle represent a vexing side result of the global economy and a close threat to Vermont's trees.
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