Arlington Energy Committee
Minutes
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at The Town Hall
Arlington Energy Committee
Minutes
Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at The Town Hall
In Attendance:
In-Person: Jenny Murtaugh, Joan Nash, Karen Lee, Stephanie Moffett-Hynds, Mary Anne Holmes, Mardi Crane-Godreau, Alex Ernst and alternates Mary Ann Carlson and Garret Siegel
Guests: Dr. Lee Allen, Peter Hildick-Smith, Dave Naaktgeboren
Via Zoom: Noone
AGENDA
- Additions or Deletions from the agenda: Steph offered to add a report from her time serving on the VT Climate Council in new business
- Minutes from previous meetings: Steph moved, Joni seconded; All approved.
- Old Business
- Guest speakers on best practices in forest management:
Peter Hildick-Smith of the Red Mountain Initiative Team provided two handouts: Red Mountain Town Forest Opportunity Overview outline of presentation; Letter from Don Campbell from the Vermont Land Trust supporting the effort to conserve the land. It included a summary timeline of what has ensued regarding the property from October 2018 to May 2025. It also included a list of all the town forests in VT that have been conserved by the VT Land Trust, as well as the article in the Manchester Journal in February of 2021 that detailed the lengthy select board meeting which ultimately ended with the board’s rejecting the plan, 4-1, (2/11/21).
Peter gave an overview of the history of the Red Mountain project, including a brief summary of the importance of Red Mountain in VT state history. It is the home of the tree used for the State Seal 1778 (247 years ago). He also talked about four permanent ownership/stewardship options that the team sees to protect the tract: Arlington Town Forest, VT State Forest, Non-Profit/NGO, or Private ownership with limited access. The team feels that having the 407- acre parcel become a town forest would be best so that it could be conserved for carbon sequestration, recreation, wildlife, scenic values, and other reasons.
Professor Lee Allen, PhD Forestry (ecology and management), North Carolina State University, spoke about the makeup of the Red Mountain forest which is mostly deciduous. (There are hemlocks, but they will probably be gone within ten years due to the wooly adelgid.) Its composition is very rich, both in diversity and soil content. “This is really good dirt.” Over the eons, especially during the last 10,000 years, this land has been building significant carbon matter. Deforestation during the time the land was used for sheep grazing did cause huge carbon loss and soil erosion. The forest has recovered well. Within the stands, there are many trees that are over 200 years old. The array of species of trees, flora, and fauna makes this forest a treasure. It has a wealth of healthy attributes.
Dr. Allen then talked about the forest’s ability to sequester carbon. It would fix approximately a half a cord per acre per year (cord = as a measure of volume is converted to 1.9 tons of dry weight per cord of wood). We have about one ton per acre per year of stem wood being produced. (A very conservative estimate of how much carbon is being conserved.) Any organic matter is about 50% carbon. So, about a half a ton of carbon is fixed per acre per year. Multiply this by 400 acres, and that gives us 190 tons of carbon (700 tons of CO2 per year for the whole track of acres). Again, this is very conservative estimate. This would more than offset the carbon footprint of the town’s diesel trucks, for example, and would therefore be an invaluable asset to the town for its carbon sequestration goals/offsets. The town could try to buy carbon credits on the market instead, to cover its carbon footprint gap, but the voluntary carbon market is very volatile and unreliable.
Discussion ensued about public access point options and the low costs for operating a forest, the improved water quality for the Battenkill, the value of the parcel for recreation, etc.
[Mary Anne moved that we extend the meeting until 8:30; Alex seconded; All approved.]Timeline:
The door on this project is closing. Basically, the owner of the property, The Conservation Fund, is getting tired of waiting. A purchase plan with the town would have to be in place by January 2026.
Dave asked when the town’s deadline is for reaching its carbon goal. The town public mandate states that it must reach this by the end of 2027.
Karen focused in on the directive of the AEC: to advise on energy and lowering the town’s carbon footprint. While the property might have many benefits to the town, she articulated that the committee is tasked with making suggestions to the select board on what can be done to achieve the town’s mandated goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2027. As such, the value of the parcel to significantly sequester carbon is essentially the AEC’s sole interest. Joni concurred.
Karen made the following motion:
That the AEC recommend to the select board that the town acquire the Red Mountain Forest property as a Conservation Parcel so that the town can meet its 2027 publicly-mandated carbon neutral goal. Mary Anne Holmes seconded the motion. Discussion ensued. Vote: Unanimous approval.
Karen will be the point person for communications between the Red Mountain Forest group and the AEC. Karen will forward the communications to all members of the AEC. Garret as the planning commission chair would also like to be copied.
Karen made a motion that the AEC create a subcommittee to liaison with the Red Mountain Property group which would consist of Alex, Karen, and Joni. Mary Anne Holmes would be an alternate. Joni seconded. All approved.
Because it was nearly 8:30 PM, the committee agreed to take up with the rest of its agenda items at the next meeting, which is slated for July 2, 6:30 PM.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM by unanimous vote.