The next of American Tree Farm System’s Standards of Sustainability is Standard #7: Protect Special Sites. Special sites are to be managed in ways that recognize their historical, archeological, cultural, geological, biological, or ecological characteristics.
To begin, what is a special site? Small areas of a woodland can be deemed a special site for a number of reasons including:
Historical, archeological, cultural, or ceremonial features
Sites of importance to wildlife
Unique ecological communities
Geological features
An area of significance to the landowner
Some examples that are common to Vermont can be old cellar holes, dam sites, mill sites, look outs/vistas, historic cemeteries, vernal pools, various wetlands and swamp communities, rare or threatened plant and animal species, or areas holding special family memories.
Landowners are required to make an effort to locate and protect special sites in their woodland and have management activities consider and maintain these sites. The best way to determine and locate special sites is to get out on your property with your consulting forester or natural
resource professional and search for any. If any sites are found, they should be identified on maps and, if appropriate, marked on the ground.
Limiting disturbance of these sites when conducting management activities may be important. This can be done in a number of ways, some of which could include creating a vegetation buffer, fencing the area, and other methods to control erosion or soil disturbance.
There are some resources that are helpful in determining special sites in Vermont. Vermont’s Natural Heritage Program is a good place to search for preexisting reports of rare or endangered species, and natural communities that may be on your property. Vermont’s Division of Historic Preservation is a good source for historical and archeological information that may be pertinent to your property. Some other resources include the Historic Sites page on the Vermont state government’s website and the
Vermont Archeological Inventory.