Ethan Tapper, a Chittenden County forester with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, has been named the 2024 National Tree Farm Inspector of the Year by the American Tree Farm System, a nationwide alliance of 74,000 family forest landowners dedicated to the sustainable management of 19 million acres.
In Vermont, the Tree Farm System is sponsored by the Vermont Woodlands Association, with 440 landowners and over 133,000 acres enrolled in the program. These landowners, known as "tree farmers," commit to managing their forests to prioritize wildlife habitat, clean water and recreation, while sustainably producing forest products.
As part of this initiative, numerous Vermont county foresters, including Tapper, serve as tree farm inspectors, actively supporting and encouraging landowner participation in the program. This collaborative gives Vermont’s woodland owners the tools they need to be good stewards of the land.
“I became a Tree Farm Inspector because I wanted to work with Vermont’s iconic working forests enrolled as tree farms, the amazing landowners and lands stewards that are tree farmers, and the incredible community of foresters that serve as inspectors,” Tapper said. “Being recognized by such an amazing organization at all — let alone nationally — is a dream come true!”
Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation’s county foresters, has been serving private landowners since the 1940s. This program provides assistance to landowners, administers Vermont's Use Value Appraisal program, and supports the management of town forests statewide.