Vermont Coverts Women Owning Woodlands

Women Owning Woodlands

According to the 2013 National Woodland Owner Survey (pdf), women are now the primary owners of 20% of Vermont’s available woodlands, meaning there are 475,000 acres of forestland in Vermont that are solely owned by women, with another 1.1 million acres that are owned by women as co-owners.

Vermont Coverts, Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Woodlands Association and UVM Extension have joined forces to engage and empower women to implement forest stewardship activities in their woods. The team is using models of Women Owning Woodlands programs from around the country.

The goal is to address gender-related differences in how women approach estate and succession planning, enhance confidence and knowledge regarding woodland stewardship, and increase participation rates in forest landowner outreach and educational programs in Vermont.

In 2019, we conducted focus groups and a survey of women landowners to determine the best direction for the program.

Learn more about the Vermont program.
Read about national efforts to engage women landowners.

Banner photo: women's Game of Logging workshop, by Vermont Coverts

Coverts is an English word dating to the 14th century, pronounced "cuh-verts" (not "coe-verts"). It refers to dense thickets that provide shelter for wildlife.

Vermont Coverts: Woodlands for Wildlife, Inc.
PO Box 328
Vergennes, VT 05491
Email: info@vtcoverts.org
Phone: 802-877-2777

Vermont Coverts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Join us in keeping Vermont's forests and wildlife healthy and productive.