636 acres of new town forest created
Town/Region: Newbury, Vermont
Website: https://tuckertownforest.org/
Tucker Mountain Town Forest is home to the two highest points of land in Newbury: Tucker Mountain at 1,690 ft. and Woodchuck Mountain, at 1,750 ft. In 2018, with the support of the Vermont Land Trust, the Philip and Ginny Leach family, grants, and individual donors, the town purchased the 636-acre property and it is now conserved for the public to enjoy. The people of Newbury and surrounding towns love their new town forest.
Since then, the Tucker Mountain Town Forest Management Committee, with support from the Friends of Tucker Mountain, has built trails, cedar kiosks, parking lots, interpretive signs, a woven arch bridge, and a StoryWalk for all to enjoy. Hiking, hunting, horseback riding, mountain biking, skiing, snowshoeing, bird watching, and off-road vehicles including snowmobiles—all have an opportunity to use the forest. The committee hosts events including an annual 5K run, Winter Fun Day, Abenaki Day, and community service days for local schools.
Future goals include a half-mile all-persons accessible loop trail through the forest and along Vance Brook, spanned by a large cedar bridge. Funding to support their projects has come from the Recreation Trails Program (RTP), the New Hampshire Charitable Trust, the Byrne Foundation, the Vermont Land Trust, and the Vermont Community Foundation.
