sheep

If you spend time in the woods, chances are that you will stumble upon an old cellar hole, stone wall or agricultural implement rusting among the trees. These cultural artifacts are striking and speak to the strange and fascinating history of European settlement in Vermont, which is intertwined with the history of our forests. In most areas of Vermont, I would classify human disturbance as the largest influence over the condition of our forests as they currently exist. The history of how this came to be is a story of settlement, war and mania.