Alternative Assets

Tony D’Amato (left) and Ben Yousey-Hindes in Talcott Forest. Photo by Rowan Elleman ’16, 2021.

"A Certain Piece of Land in Williston"

Tucked between a golf course, a residential subdivision, and the busy trails of a popular outdoor center, lies the University of Vermont’s Talcott Forest. Walking its quiet paths, the casual visitor might marvel at the abundance of ghostly Indian pipe flowers (Monotropa uniflora) among the leaf litter, or crane their necks to take in stands of majestic hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Back in 1988, local schoolchildren petitioned UVM President Lattie Coor to protect one particularly large hemlock on the property as a “historical landmark.” He obliged, and earned UVM a mention in the New York Times and Boston Globe. Located about 8 miles east of campus, the Talcott Forest’s accessibility makes it a valuable resource for the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Students in courses such as dendrology, forest ecology, and forest ecosystem analysis spend time on the forest’s 88 acres. Others study wildlife habitat, practice their chainsaw skills, or use the land as a laboratory to explore what Professor and Director of UVM Research Forests Tony D’Amato refers to as the “socio-ecological” nature of forest landscapes. “Talcott is really important for giving our students opportunities for hands-on learning—about how to measure and understand forest ecosystems, but also about how to develop plans for their sustainable management,” he says. The Talcott Forest, like virtually all of UVM’s research forests, was a gift. In 1962, local dairy farmer, golf enthusiast, and civic leader Frank Talcott (UVM Class of 1894) and his wife Callie donated this “certain piece of land in Williston” to the University. It was a noble deed, and faculty members like Professor D’Amato are more than happy to fulfill the Talcott’s wishes that the land be “actively used in research, teaching, or extension work in the science of forestry.” Generations of students (and trees, and flowers, and animals) have already benefited from the Talcotts’ vision, and generations more will come to thank them too.