The Green Mountain National Forest is found in Vermont. This forest was recognized in 1932. It is located in a 400,000 acres land and contains 2000 archaeological and historical sites ( USDA, 2018). The historical sites include Native American sites, the remains of colonial-era subsistence farmsteads, and the evidence of the technologies of the industrial period that is roads, structures, and facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corp. The Green Mountain National forest is characterized by striking scenery that includes rugged mountains peak. The ecological diversity of the forest is divided into several program areas. These are the wildlife and fisheries program which focuses on animals and their habitats, while the Botany program focuses on rare plants and their habitats, as well as on non-native invasive plants (USDA, 2018). There is also the vegetative management program which focuses on management of woody vegetation and forests types.
Consequently, the ecology program focuses on the management of the natural community and landscape levels, including the inter-relationships between plants, animals, soil, geology, and disturbances. The geology of the GMNF consists of Alluvium which is well sorted, stratified, and fluvial deposit adjacent to sand (Hoesen, 2009). There is also the Ground Moraine that is usually poorly-sorted and is found in the uplands with rare occurrences at the bottom. However, the forest also contains the Thin Till and is characterized by frequent bedrock exposure. The Thin Till provides access to bedrock exposures exhibiting striations. Lastly, GMNF has the Fluvial Terraces that contain well-sorted pebbles that represent historical floodplain sediments dissected by new streams in the forest ( Hoesen, 2009).
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GMNF offers different values to the local economy. The forest provides high levels of commercial benefits to households, companies, and government that formed the initial force for protective statutes and policies. Besides, the GMNF provides employment opportunities such as forest rangers that protect the forests and the animals living in the forests (Miller et al. 2013). On the other hand, forests have provided land for cultivation and settlement, construction materials, fuel and energy, and food as well. Lastly, forests provide revenues to the local economy when tourists visit the forest areas to view the beautiful sceneries alongside the wildlife forms of inhabiting in the forests.
The forest provides a wide range of values to the ecosystem includes climate, ecology, biodiversity, and the commercial importance. In climate, the forest is the major contributor to the earth’s ability to maintain its climate, by the global impact of the plant’s photosynthesis. The forest also acts as a water filter by collecting, storing water, and recharging the underground aquifers, which is significant in supporting the ecosystem. The forest is also a natural defense against climate change, removing the carbon dioxide and generating oxygen. Also, the GMNF also helps in purifying the atmosphere and controlling rising temperatures. The presence of forests also helps in minimizing air pollution. The wind that is blown on the earth from one place to another reduces the concentration of harmful gases. This, however, helps pollutants to be absorbed from the air by the trees. Lastly, forests help in stabilizing the climate. For instance, in urban areas, the presence of trees reduces the dependence of air conditioners.
On the other hand, large forests like GMNF help to regulate regional temperatures by absorbing the sun’s radiant heat and promote rainfall as well as the effect of evapotranspiration. Apart from assisting in controlling the climate, the GMNF also has ecological benefits. The forest prevents soil erosion by reducing rainfall’s force on the soil surface by absorbing water and not allowing it to directly run off comprising of particularly of intensive biodiversity. In commercial aspects, the importance of the forest plays a major role in humankind. For instance, diverse medicines have been discovered in plants native to the forest. However, local communities also survive on plants and animals found in the forests, for instance, the Elnu Abenaki tribe that lived in the forest. Products such as wood, paper, and bamboo originate from the forest. There are also other products such as spices, gums, and dyes that are also found in the forest. The GMNF is also important to the people for aesthetic reasons.
The GMNF provides various values to the people who live near them. Some of the values also help in the ecosystem. For instance, the forest encourages tourism by offering people picnic spots, as well as, holiday packages of spending time in the forest, which in turn increases revenue to the society (Miller et al. 2013). The GMNF also provides wood which is used by people to make furniture for their households use. Consequently, this provides employment to people with the expertise in making furniture and other household items (Miller et al. 2013). Subsequently, forests help in conserving soil and water, which are useful to people. They preserve groundwater supplies that are important to the people for drinking purposes and also assist in holding the soil to prevent soil erosion. Some of the trees in the forests provide fruits, nuts, seeds and sap that are utilized by the people around the GMNF.
References
Hoesen, V. (2009). Final report summarizing the surficial geology and hydrogeology of Rutland, Vermont. Retrieved from http://dec.vermont.gov/sites/dec/files/geo/OpenFile/Rutland%20Final%20Report%20200 9.pdf
Miller, D., Benson, C., Cashore, B., & Shepherd, G., Benson, C., & Miller D. (2013, March 20). Economic Contributions of Forests. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/forests/pdf/session_documents/unff10/EcoContrForests.pdf
USDA. (2018). Vermont's and New York's only . Retrieved from https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/home
