Sugar Maple – Hardwood
July 13, 2026
Vermont. Healthy forests. Awesome mountains.
Vermont’s forests provide essential ecological, social, and economic benefits: clean water, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, recreation, and forest products from firewood to lumber.
Today I climbed a Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) on the mountain known as “K1” at Killington Vermont. It is a fitting state tree considering over half of all maple syrup produced in the US comes from Vermont!
Over 2 billion dollars in annual revenue is generated from forest products in the state. What struck me on my visit through the state is just how healthy and well managed the forest is here.
The state is facing threats from emerald ash borer, Hemlock Wooly adelgid, and Beech leaf disease. However I saw multiple healthy stands of Hemlock, Ash, and Beech. Perhaps the healthiest forests I have seen to date on my mission to visit the forests of all 50 US states.
I texted my sons back home this morning and said “if you want to see what Pennsylvania’s forests looked like 30 years ago, come to Vermont.”
As a forester I must wonder if this is just a matter of time until these forest pests cause the same decimation seen in states to the south or if forest management practices are more successful here. Or is it a mix of both?
Regardless, I have been so happy to see the forests of Vermont as they are right now!
A big thank you to Vermont state forester Oliver Pierson for welcoming me to the state forests here and for providing helpful information about the status of forest management and industry here.
*text for photos posted:
My wife and I hiked over 4 miles and climbed almost 2,000 in elevation with 60+ pounds of tree climbing gear in a backpack.
Sugar Maples, the state tree of Vermont, are common at lower and moderate altitudes but once we hiked above 3,000ft above sea level I saw very few of them. The forest at this elevation was dominated by Balsam Fir and Red Spruce.
Old Man’s Beard (genus Usnea) and Horsehair Lichen (genus Bryoria) are native to Vermont. They thrive in the high-humidity, cool, and unpolluted air of the Green Mountains and the Northeast Kingdom.
