Part of the reason VT has gone back to being over 60% Forested is because of active management of our forestland. Our forests are far healthier than the forest preserve right across the lake in the Adirondacks because our public lands are managed (mostly through timber harvests). We’re more resilient to Forest pests, invasives, potential for fire, and it even gives us an economic argument for keeping it forested. If you look at the Adirondack and Catskills Forest preserves (where cutting hasn’t been allowed in any form on the state lands ever since they realized they needed trees to have water for the Erie Canal), it’s pretty obvious how detrimental a complete lack of forest management is.