The PMNRCD crew has had a busy year for tree planting. This spring the District planned, coordinated, and implemented plantings across ten different sites in Rutland County and have three more set for this fall. Many of these plantings focused on riparian buffers with the goals of improving water quality and increasing wildlife habitat. By the end of Fall, we will have planted 6,155 native trees and shrubs across 18.13 acres.
We are thankful for our amazing planting crew, volunteers, landowners and our project funders who all make this work possible. These include the South Lake Champlain Service Provider, the Trees for Streams Program, The Lake Champlain Basin Program, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Pur Projet.
Project Highlights
Wells brook tributary Planting- Wells, VT
Our largest planting this year was in Wells, VT along a series of tributaries to Wells Brook. Funded through the Vermont Clean Water Initiative Program by the South Lake Champlain Service Provider, this project encompassed 4.25 acres converting fallow field into productive forested riparian habitat. This new planted buffer will improve water quality by reducing the amount of phosphorus and other nutrients carried through overland flow across the varied landscape. In addition to protecting water quality this planting will provide many wildlife benefits. PMNRCD planted 1,460 native trees and shrubs including species such as dogwood, willow, elderberry, oak, maple, and cherry.
Flower Brook Planting – Pawlet, VT
Having an established forested floodplain can help to increase flood mitigation by slowing water and allowing sediment to settle out. This is especially important in Pawlet, VT where the flooding has caused infrastructures damage in the past. Spring of 2025 PMNRCD planted 1.5 acres of riparian area along Flower Brook with funding from the South Lake Champlain Service Provider through the Vermont Clean Water Initiative Program.
Pre-planting work was funded though the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and involved the removal of a large section of invasive plants within the planting area. The PMNRCD crew worked to remove invasive honeysuckle, buckthorn, barberry, multiflora rose, and Japanese knotweed, opening new floodplain for the 550 native plants to go in. This project will help to reduce nutrient input into the waterway, increase floodplain access, and re-open soil allowing for access to the native seed bank.
Beaver Meadow Farm Planting – Shrewsbury, VT
PMNRCD worked with the Rutland County Conservation District to plan and implement a planting located at Beaver Meadow Farm in Shrewsbury, VT. The project was through the Trees for Streams program with funding from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. The 1.65 acre planting area was along Freeman Brook which splits one of the many horse pastures on the property. PMNRCD planted the 35’ buffer with 551 native plants able to withstand the frequent flooding that takes place in the spring. The newly established plants will help to improve water quality, cool the waterway, and mitigate flooding impacts downstream.
This project was funded by an agreement LC00A00394 awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program. NEIWPCC manages LCBP’s personnel, contract, grant, and budget tasks and provides input on the program’s activities through a partnership with the LCBP Steering Committee. Although the information in this document has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection agency under agreement LC00A00394 to NEIWPCC, it has not undergone the Agency’s publications review process and therefore, may not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred. The viewpoints expressed here do not necessarily represent those of NEIWPCC, the LCBP Steering Committee, or EPA, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or causes constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
