Open House for 2026 Windham County Local Fund Pools!
Come join us at the Brooks Memorial Library for an overview of the three NRCS local fund pools available for Windham County producers and landowners! This will be an opportunity to ask all the questions you may have about receiving cost-share assistance for conservation projects from the NRCS, details about the local funds pools, and fill out paperwork to start the process. Applications are due August 22nd, 2025. Please note: applications are in no way binding, they serve to record your interest with the NRCS. As we progress through the planning stage, you may choose not to follow through. For questions, please contact Mae Masson at masson.wcnrcd@gmail.com or 802-212-9457.
When?
Tuesday, August 5th, 2025
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Where?
Brooks Memorial Library
224 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301
Room A - Community Meeting Room
Windham County's three local fund pools
1 - Forest Management Plan
The Forest Management Plan fund exists to support Windham County landowners develop forest management plans (FMPs). The FMP is a site-specific plan developed based on the landowner’s management objectives and the professional expertise of a skilled forester to achieve long-term forest management goals. The NRCS administers the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides support for the development of FMPs in Vermont.
The purpose of this fund is to encourage landowners to steward land that is crucial for the health of our forests, our wildlife, our people and our economy.
FMPs are already required to apply for the Use Value Appraisal (UVA)/Current Use program. This program enables landowners who practice long-term forest management to have their enrolled land assessed for property taxes based on its value for forest management rather than its fair market (development) value. The program’s goal has been to keep forests as forests, and it provides a mechanism for fair taxation for those landowners who make that commitment.
Available practices:
- Forest management plan
- Forest management practice design
- Fish and wildlife habitat design
- Pollinator habitat
2 - Forest Health
The Forest Health fund exists to cost-share practices that help landowners maintain and improve the health of forested land. One of the biggest concerns for landowners in Windham County is the management of invasive species, which is one of the practices included under this fund: Brush Management (314). All included practices support the health of forestland by protecting wildlife, preventing/managing erosion and improving tree and shrub health.
To apply for funding for these practices, landowners must first develop a forest management plan (see Forest Management Plan fund).
Other available practices:
· Wildlife habitat planting 420
· Early successional habitat development/management 647
· Road/trail/landing closure and treatment 654
· Forest stand improvement 666
· Herbaceous weed treatment 315
· Aquatic organism passage 396
· Streambank and shoreline protection 580
· Tree/shrub establishment 612
· Upland wildlife habitat management 645
· Road/trail/landing closure and treatment 654
· Forest trails and landings 655
3- Small Agriculture
The Small Agriculture fund focuses on Windham County’s small farms. The practices offered under this fund help small operations become more resilient with projects targeting soil quality limitations, degraded plant condition, pest pressure, concentrated erosion and weather resilience.
Available practices:
· Residue and tillage management, no till 329
· Residue and tillage management, reduced till 345
· Irrigation system, micro-irrigation 441
· Irrigation system, surface and subsurface 443
· Stormwater runoff control 570
