BRATTLEBORO (VT) REFORMER • March 7, 2021
Every year, forests remove 15 percent of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, equal to removing more than 673 million cars from the road. However, these forests face significant threats, including development, poor management, and energy extraction. Nationally, U.S. forests are permanently lost at a gross rate of just under a million acres per year. “Now more than ever, our future depends on forests,” states Kim Elliman, the CEO of the Open Space Institute. “By putting climate change front and center, the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund will help protect the land that matters most as we take on the largest environmental challenge of our time.” OSI has received a $6 million grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and $6 million from six other regional foundations toward its $18 million goal.