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Healthy Trees: A New Climate Learning Forum Initiative

The Climate Learning Forum is developing and delivering several learning initiatives, the first of which is Healthy Trees. 

The “Healthy Trees” initiative addresses and advances issues identified as priority areas - ecosystem protection, managing heat and water, and climate justice.  As the first area of focused discussion, healthy trees is integral to many of the USDA’s NRCS Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry practices (CSAF). The first Healthy Trees gathering was held at in Vermont at Meach Cove Farms in Shelburne, Vermont in June 2023.  

Are you interested in being a part of a Healthy Trees discussion? 

Please share your experience and expertise by joining us to discuss projects with partners and other stakeholders at monthly online meetings. Please email Suzy Hodgson at sbhodgson@uvm.edu to be added to the group.

Healthy Trees Issues raised in discussion sessions to date

  • Regeneration limited by predation, heat stress, pests and disease.
  • Agroforestry - steep learning curve
  • Urban forestry, climate justice, and tree equity
  • Climate changing faster than we and trees can keep up with
  • Carbon sequestration and storage
  • Trees: to cut or not to cut?
  • Supply chain bottlenecks
  • Improving ways to work with tribal governments
  • Funding and technical support

Events

  • Silvopasture & Hedgerows: Designing with the Climate

    Join us at Meach Cove Farms for a site assessment, planning and design workshop considering silvopasture in the field and considering how new woody plantings can be introduced. This workshop covers multi functions and co-benefits of climate smart grazing.

  • Forest Farming: A Climate Smart Practice

    Join us at Smokey House Center for a field session on forest farming - a USDA-recognized agroforestry practice that involves cultivating and stewarding shade-tolerant non-timber forest products in the forest understory.

  • Climate Smart Practices: Agroforestry - Alley Cropping and Silvopasture

    USDA Northeast Climate Hub, UVM Extension, Meach Cove Farms, Interlace Commons, and NRCS-Vermont invite you to a hands-on training session in Shelburne, Vermont covering two of the most in demand agroforestry practices - silvopasture and alley cropping.

  • Healthy Trees for Climate

    USDA Northeast Climate Hub's Climate Learning Forum, UVM Extension, and Meach Cove Farms invite you to a walk and talk on healthy trees for climate, carbon storage, and agroforestry.

Press

  • Forest Farming and Composting

    Ever wanted to find out how (and where) ginseng is grown? UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture in cooperation with the USDA and the Smokey House Center in Danby, Vermont is educating people about the ecological and economic benefits of forest farming. In our second story we learn how to become a UVM Master Gardener master composter.

    • By Across The Fence | University of Vermont Extension
    • Climate Learning in Partnership for Climate Smart Agroforestry Session

      The November pilot session was designed to address the management of healthy trees in climate smart practices with the focus on two USDA agroforestry practices: alley cropping and silvopasture.

      • By USDA Northeast Climate Hub
      • Climate Learning Forum: Healthy Trees Gathering in Vermont

        Managed by Meach Cove Farms, the 280-acre woodland comprising sugar maple, red oak, birch, basswood, hickory and beech was an inspirational place to meet to exchange information about practices for healthy trees and learn from peers immersed in climate-related matters.

        • By USDA Northeast Climate Hub

Project Status

Ongoing

Project Lead

Partners

University of Vermont