Logging dispute in Green Mountains

A recent Forest Service timber sale on Grass Mountain covers roughly 110 acres in the Manchester Ranger District and has been linked to the relocation of the Spirit Hollow silent retreat owner who said heavy machinery shattered the site’s quiet. (vtdigger.org) The broader contested plan is the Telephone Gap Integrated Resource Project, for which the Forest Service issued its final environmental assessment and draft decision on December 3, 2024 and later selected Alternative C in June 2025 to manage about 72,000 acres with roughly 11,000 acres open to commercial harvest. (fs.usda.gov) Forest Service documents and local reporting estimate the Telephone Gap approvals could result in nearly 5 million cubic feet of timber removed from the project area—a figure frequently cited in regional coverage of the controversy. (vermontbiz.com) Opposition has been organized: Standing Trees and allied groups staged a January 11, 2025 rally of about 100 people at the GMNF Mendon office and Standing Trees’ executive director Zack Porter has led public objections to the Telephone Gap plan. (standingtrees.org) Proponents and some habitat groups cite targeted young-forest objectives and local economic benefits, with the Ruffed Grouse Society and allies pointing to habitat improvements and timber sale proceeds slated for tree planting and stream restoration handled via contracts with Vermont loggers. (ruffedgrousesociety.org) National advocates warn the plan threatens old-growth and roadless areas—Protect Ancient Forests says Telephone Gap would commercially log roughly 1,800 acres of Inventoried Roadless Area and “nearly half” of remaining old-growth—and conservation analysis estimates the project could release carbon roughly equivalent to 60,000 passenger vehicles in a year. (protectancientforests.org)