SALISBURY — County Forester Mark Raishart will give a presentation entitled “Strategies and Supports for Forest Management on Private Lands” at the Salisbury Meeting House, 853 Maple Street in Salisbury, on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Raishart is the Addison and Northern Rutland County Forester for the VT Department of Forest, Parks, and Recreation.

County Foresters have long been key to providing forest management, stewardship guidance, technical assistance and outreach to Vermont landowners. They offer expertise on topics

County Forester Mark Raishart

including forest management, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation. County Foresters also administer the forestland category of Use Value Appraisal (Current Use) program, which enables eligible private landowners engaged in long-term forestry to have their land appraised based on its forestry value, rather than its fair market (development) value.

Raishart lives in Leicester on a 68-acre farm and forest with his wife and three children. There he manages a 500-tap family sugaring operation and practices exemplary forest stewardship. His forest has been named the 2024 Vermont Outstanding Tree Farm of the Year.

Prior to becoming our County Forester, Raishart worked at the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, where he served as the Forest Program Specialist with the Farm and Forest Viability Program. For 13 years before that, he was the Forestry and Natural Resources Instructor at the Stafford Technical Center in Rutland. He has also worked in beekeeping, Christmas trees, agricultural education, and outdoor recreation. Raishart holds an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College, and he is a Vermont-licensed forester.

This presentation is part of the Salisbury Conservation Commission’s Thursday Series. All talks are free and open to the public. Presentations generally last a little over an hour and questions are encouraged.

The series continues on a selection of Thursday evenings through Feb. 13, including:

• Dec. 19: Judy Rosovsky, Vermont State Entomologist with an update on forest pest insects in Vermont.
• Jan. 9: Josh Blouin, Vt. Fish & Wildlife Moose biologist on the natural history and challenges for Moose in Vermont.
• Jan. 16: John Austin, Director Wildlife for Vt. Fish & Wildlife on wildlife conservation challenges and opportunities.
• Jan. 23: Erin Talmage, director of the Birds of Vermont Museum on winter birds.
• Feb 6: Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Vermont State Climatologist, on exploring climate change in Vermont through the lenses of vulnerability and inclusion.

•        Feb. 13: Craig Zondag, Director of the Lemon Fair Mosquito Control District on Mosquitos: the good and the bad.