Third Branch Headwaters

Vermonters love Roxbury State Forest for its hiking, fishing, and hunting. And now there’s an additional 108-acres to love thanks to The Trust for Public Land. This addition includes 16-acres of riparian areas above the Third Branch of the White River and nearly a mile of headwater streams, which will improve flood resiliency, protect water quality, and preserve the healthy native brook trout populations.

Visitors can explore northern hardwood forest that’s home to bear, moose, deer, bobcat, turkey, and grouse. The Third Branch Headwaters are located within the Green Mountain Wildlife Linkage, the largest north-south wildlife corridor in Vermont, allowing movement for species as they adapt to a changing climate. Conservation of the Third Branch Headwaters not only protects a large block of unfragmented forest, it also maintains a natural setting for the adjacent Roxbury Fish Hatchery, Vermont’s oldest fish hatchery, listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

This project was possible thanks to funding from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, the Federal Forest Legacy Program, and private donors.