From the Roots

A foundation sits in Montgomery Center, tucked in a pasture across the Trout River from Main Street, in the shadow of an old silo and behind what is now Grampa Grunts Lodge. You might not notice it in passing along the adjacent VAST snowmobile trail for the growth in staghorn sumac, ash, and elm which obscure the concrete work, but the footprint of the community’s past is still readily visible to those who take a moment to consider it. These modest remains mark the site of the former Nelson and Hall Company’s Atlas Plywood mill, once one of the largest employers in the area (operating additional mills in Richford and North Troy). In 1921 the company developed an innovative 3-ply veneer packing crate, and for almost two decades if you purchased a Victrola record player (or ‘talking machine’) it would be shipped to you—anywhere in the world—in a crate stamped “Atlas Packing Case, Montgomery Center, VT”. 

Like so many of Vermont’s rural communities, from the end of the civil war through the 1940s the timber industry was an integral part of Montgomery’s economy. In the 1890s there were 16 mills producing wood products. Aside from the Atlas packing crates, Montgomery was also known for its’ production of spruce butter tubs, allowing for the transport of butter from dairies across Franklin County to southern New England, including metropolitan centers like Boston and New York. At their height, the mills in Montgomery were producing over 1.5 million butter tubs each year.

Demand for the talking machines—the Montgomery Atlas Mill’s main client—was killed by the expansion of radio and the Great Depression, and changes in shipping methods undercut Atlas’ competitive advantage. While Atlas continued to produce plywood for other applications, it closed its Montgomery operation in the 1950s. Change associated with commodities markets and advances in transport and storage eventually negated the need for the butter tub, and other market shifts in the production of textiles meant the bobbins produced in Black Falls were also no longer needed. Time passed and today all that remains are foundations, most of which are gradually being overtaken by the forests which once supported their existence.

_{(click an image to enlarge; provided by the Montgomery Historical Society)}

Since the hay day of Vermont’s Mill Towns, our relationship with our forests has changed, but our commitment to them has remained. Our forests define the place we call home, quite literally providing the backdrop to our daily lives and a foundational element to our rural character. With about 78% of our state forested (and 80% of that being owned by private, family forestland owners), this intrinsic connection remains centered in our hearts as we look to the future with an eye towards adaptation and resilience, both ecological and economic. 

In 2009 the Vermont Council on Rural Development convened the Council of the Future of Vermont to craft a collective vision for our State’s future. The work—based on the input they received from countless Vermonters—squarely identified our state’s working landscape as being critically important to our identity and our future, and articulated a desire to protect and support it. From that collective commitment expressed by Vermonters, in 2012 Legislators passed Act 142, allowing for the creation of the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, a public-private partnership empowered to invest in the economy, environment, and culture of Vermont’s Working Landscape. Since then, the Initiative has helped to create over 540 new jobs, while also maintaining the viability of countless existing jobs; led to more than $92M generated in sales; and it’s kept the working landscape vibrant and vital with over 24,985 acres directly benefiting from our investments. Additionally, $24.6M has been leveraged in matching funds through this work – so for every $1 of public funding, another $1.6 in matching private funds has been leveraged to support this work. Investments here in the Cold Hollow to Canada region include direct support for expanding small sawmill infrastructure, creating new markets for lower grade wood products, and direct support to local logging contractors to adapt to changing climate.

In the wake of COVID-19 the Vermont Council on Rural Development launched another initiative—the Vermont Proposition—which again asked Vermonters what they see as an ideal future for our State. Again, Vermonters centered our working lands in the set of ideas to drive common action and advance a successful and resilient future for Vermont. While the world continues to change, and how we look to our working forests has continued to evolve, our collective commitment to them remains centered in our identity and our future.

In this context, the Vermont Legislature passed Act 183 in 2022. The Act directed the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to launch a stakeholder process to identify ways to strengthen, modernize, promote, and protect the forest products sector and the greater forest economy for the many values and benefits they provide. Formally launched this spring, the Forest Futures Strategic Roadmap represents the culmination of many months of stakeholder engagement including industry and community roundtables, surveys, a 2-day Think-Tank, and many advisory panel meetings with representatives from across the working forest sector. The Roadmap centers on five pillars: Forest Management and Land Use; Business Environment and Conditions; Research Innovation and Technology; Industry Reputation and Market Profile; and Forest Economy and Rural Communities.This plan is a powerful demonstration of Vermont’s commitment to our working forests, forest products, and dedicated Vermonters who contribute to every stage of the supply chain, from the forest landowner to the consumer. The roadmap celebrates the dynamic role that Vermont’s forests play in shaping Vermont’s well-being, livelihoods, and cultural identity.

As we look ahead, with this Roadmap to help guide our work (and operating in the context of a Climate Crisis), we see a future not based on Talking Machines and Butter Tubs, but rather centered on Climate Adaptive Forestry and new products which stand to serve as Natural Climate Solutions. 

One bright spot is the emerging sector of Mass Timber and engineered wood products, which use low-embodied carbon construction materials which are locally sourced. With the built environment currently responsible for 40% of global carbon emissions these new technologies stand to drastically alter how we build our communities and their impact on climate change. In 2013, less than a decade ago, there were only about 20 mass timber projects in the US. Today, there are close to 1,750 projects. In New England alone, there are 104 mass timber projects in design and 56 projects that have been completed. One current project in Vermont is a 6,500 ft² addition to the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury.

Another developing technology is in next-generation pathways in wood-based fiber and textiles, with the potential for wood to replace plastic in woven and non-woven textiles and offering new market development opportunities across the Northern Forest region. Global textiles markets top $1 trillion annually, but nearly two-thirds of all fibers we wear and use are made from oil. The decline in pulp and paper mills in recent years has caused an alarming contraction of forest products businesses. Without these businesses, the regional forest products supply chain begins to break down, as does our ability to sustainably manage our forests and keep them resilient in the face of climate change. Expanding new markets, such as those offered by developing wood-based textiles and fiber, stands to fill that critical gap while also continuing to move us away from fossil fuels.