The Working Lands Enterprise Board has announced the awarding of a $18,200 grant to NorthWoods Stewardship Center for the purchase of a forwarding trailer and implementation of low-impact timber harvests in the Northeast Kingdom. Vermont Woodlands Association has partnered with NorthWoods in the past to offer educational programs, and will continue to be a key collaborator as demonstration harvests and related workshops develop. NorthWoods is also part of the Vermont Tree Farm Program, which promotes sound forest management and offers a third-party certification opportunity for qualifying landowners with 10 or more acres.
The Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Board is an impact investment organization whose mission is to grow the economies, cultures, and communities of Vermont’s working landscape by making essential, catalytic investments in critical leverage points of the Vermont farm and forest economy, from individual enterprises to industry sectors. The Board announced last week that it has awarded new Enterprise Investment grants to agriculture and forest products businesses across the state. Approximately $300,000 was awarded to 19 recipients, who are located in 11 counties. The grants leveraged an additional $350,000 in matching funds. Enterprise Investments are one of three areas of the Working Lands Initiative, with grants ranging from $3,000 – $20,000 for new and growing agriculture, forestry, and forest products enterprises. The Enterprise Investment area received 49 applications with a total request of $415,427 in funds.
