green mountain national forest

Nestled in a small cutout of the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont is a town named Lincoln. The very epitome of a small town, Lincoln, is home to around 1,200 people, depending on the season. It’s far enough off the highway that during the winter months, there’s limited traffic coming into town.

Jennifer Heisey Barnhart has always loved the outdoors so it’s only logical that all of her jobs have been working outdoors.

Jennifer is a fairly new employee of the U.S. Forest Service, currently working with the Andrew Pickens Ranger District on the Sumter National Forest in South Carolina for almost four years, but her experience as a natural resources specialist is many years strong.

“From a very young age, I’ve always found ways to have fun outdoors and learn about my natural resources,” Barnhart said. She has held jobs as a backcountry caretaker, trail maintenance, and recreation planner.

Remember the devastating floods in Vermont – the worst in a century – that made national headlines late last August?  Hurricane Irene pounded Vermont and the Green Mountain National Forest and New Hampshire and the White Mountain National Forest with up to 12 inches of rain in less than a day.  Many communities were left reeling from the massive flood damage for weeks and months in post-storm recovery efforts.

More than 500 road miles and 200 bridges and culverts were destroyed or damaged.  Communities were left stranded by the flood’s devastation of the transportation infrastructure.  Millions of dollars of property damage occurred.  Residents also suffered increased costs related to emergency service access, commuting time and lost tourism revenue.  Aquatic life was also harmed when heavy machinery cleared “debris” and reshaped rivers.

The U.S. Forest Service has approved construction of a wind energy facility on the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont.

Approximately 200 people joined employees of the Green Mountain National Forest at the Fall Foliage Festival to celebrate the centennial of the Weeks Act in Warren, Vt. Oct. 2.