VT H0147

Creates a Recreational Trails Compensation Study Committee to evaluate whether private landowners who allow public recreational trails on their property should receive compensation or other benefits

Committee membership includes 9 voting members: Commissioners of Forests, Parks and Recreation and Taxes; representatives from Vermont Trails and Greenways Council, Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative, a land conservation organization, and Vermont League of Cities and Towns; two private landowners (one with conservation easement, one without); and a trail planning expert

Committee must review current private land use for trails, assess costs and liabilities to landowners, analyze economic value of trail access, investigate compensation practices in other jurisdictions, and recommend minimum trail standards

Appropriates $250,000 from the General Fund in fiscal year 2026 to the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for consultant contracts evaluating outdoor recreation's economic impact

Written report due to the General Assembly by December 15, 2026; committee ceases to exist March 1, 2027; effective date July 1, 2025