Vermont Fact of the Day

I’m in Vermont singing Eagles songs and toasting marshmallows while gathered around a campfire.  I know, know, but I have only one vote!  One the positive side, it is has been a long time since I’ve really seen the stars.

Here’s an interesting tidbit from our guidebook:

The 1870s saw the maximum of cleared land in the state – at that time as little as 20% of the state was in forest – the figure today approaches 85%.

I can’t vouch for the specific fact but the general idea is certainly correct.  Forestland is up not down.  We think of the city as the enemy of the environment but in fact the main constraint on forest is farmland and better technology has meant that we are producing more food from less land than ever before.  See here for more.

Thanks to Monique van Hoek for the pointer.