How Vermont Current Use collects, uses, and protects the limited personal information you share with us. In plain terms: we ask for only what we need to help you, we use it only to do that, and we never sell it.

Vermont Current Use ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website at vermontcurrentuse.com and provides consulting forestry & current use forest management plans to homeowners across Windham County, Vermont. We take your privacy seriously, and we have deliberately kept our data practices simple. This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we handle it, and the choices you have. By using this site or contacting us through it, you agree to the practices described here.

Information we collect

We collect only the information we need to respond to you and to run our business. In practice, that falls into two categories. The first is information you give us directly: when you submit our quote request or contact form, or call us, you may provide your name, phone number, email address, property location, and a description of what you need. If you send us a message, we keep the contents of that message so we can help you. The second is basic technical information that is collected automatically when anyone visits a website: your browser type, device, approximate region, the pages you view, and the time of your visit. This is standard server and analytics data, and we use it only in aggregate to understand how the site is used and to keep it working.

We do not ask for, and you should never send us, sensitive information such as your Social Security number, bank account or card numbers, or passwords. We do not need that information to give you a quote or answer a question, and our forms do not request it.

How we use your information

We use the information you provide for one core purpose: to help you. That means responding to your question, scheduling and preparing for an in-home visit, preparing and sending a written quote, carrying out work you hire us to do, and following up about that work. We may also use your contact information to reply to a review or to reach you about a scheduled appointment. We use the automatically collected technical data to maintain, secure, and improve the website. We do not use your information to build advertising profiles, and we do not make automated decisions that produce legal effects about you.

How we share information, and how we do not

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone. Full stop. The only parties who may handle your information are the service providers that help us operate, and only to the extent needed to do their job. For example, we use a reputable third-party provider to deliver email (such as the confirmation you receive after submitting a form), and standard website infrastructure and analytics providers to host and measure the site. These providers are bound to protect your information and to use it only to provide their service to us. We may also disclose information if the law requires it, such as in response to a valid legal request, or where necessary to protect our rights, safety, or property, or those of others. If our business is ever transferred, any information would remain subject to a policy consistent with this one.

Cookies and analytics

Like most websites, this site may use a small number of cookies and similar technologies to make the site function and to understand traffic in aggregate. These do not identify you personally to us. Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings; the core parts of this site will still work if you do. Where we use analytics, it is to see which pages are useful and where visitors run into trouble, not to track individuals across the web. We honor browser privacy signals where our tools support them.

How long we keep information

We keep the information you send us only as long as we reasonably need it: to answer your question, to complete and stand behind any work you hire us for, and to meet ordinary business and legal record-keeping needs. When it is no longer needed, we dispose of it. If you would like us to delete the information associated with an inquiry that did not lead to work, contact us and we will do so, subject to any records we are required to keep.

How we protect information

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the information you share, including serving this site over an encrypted connection and limiting access to the people who need it. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we treat your information with care and we keep our systems current. Because email is not a fully secure medium, please do not send us sensitive personal or financial details by email or web form.

Your choices and rights

You are always in control of what you share with us. You can choose not to submit a form, and you can ask us to update or delete the information we hold about you. Depending on where you live, you may have specific rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information, or to object to certain uses. We honor those rights and will not discriminate against you for exercising them. To make any such request, or to ask a question about your information, reach us by email at hello@vermontcurrentuse.com, and we will respond promptly.

Marketing communications

We are a service business, not a marketing operation, so we do not run broad email campaigns. If we ever contact you, it is about your specific inquiry, appointment, or completed work. We will not add you to a promotional list without your clear agreement, and if you ever receive a message from us you did not want, you can tell us to stop and we will, immediately and without hassle. You are always in control of whether and how we reach out.

Aggregate and de-identified data

We may create aggregate or de-identified statistics from site usage, such as how many people viewed a service page or which town pages are most popular. This information does not identify you and is used only to understand and improve the site. We may share such aggregate figures without restriction, because they cannot be traced back to any individual.

Do Not Track and privacy signals

Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" setting or send global privacy signals. Because there is no single agreed standard for how sites should respond, we keep our data practices deliberately minimal for every visitor rather than treating people differently based on a signal. Where our tools support honoring a recognized opt-out preference, we do. Either way, we do not track you across other websites or sell your data, regardless of the signal your browser sends.

State-specific privacy rights

Depending on where you live, laws such as those in California and a growing number of other states may give you specific rights regarding your personal information: the right to know what we have collected, the right to request a copy, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for targeted advertising. We honor these rights for all of our customers as a matter of policy, and it is straightforward for us because we do not sell or share your information for advertising in the first place. To exercise any right, simply contact us, and we will verify your request and respond within the time the law allows. We will never charge you or treat you differently for exercising a privacy right.

Data location and security incidents

Your information is stored on systems operated by us and our service providers, generally located in the United States. In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will act promptly to contain it and will notify affected individuals and any authorities as required by applicable law. We keep the amount of personal data we hold small on purpose, precisely to limit the impact of any such event.

Children's privacy

This site and our services are intended for adults arranging services for their homes or properties. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Links to other sites

Our site may link to other websites, such as review platforms, mapping services, or other resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and this policy does not apply to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any site you visit.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. When we do, we will post the revised version on this page. Your continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please reach out by email at hello@vermontcurrentuse.com, or visit our contact page. You can also review our Terms of Service and our Accessibility Statement. We are a local business and a real person will answer.

How We Handle Information Shared With Us

When a Windham County landowner reaches out to Vermont Current Use, whether through our contact page, by phone, or by email, the conversation usually starts with a few straightforward details: the town your parcel is in, a rough sense of its acreage, whether it is already enrolled in Vermont's Use Value Appraisal program, and what you are hoping to figure out. Sometimes people also share a copy of an existing forest management plan, a deed description, or a property map. All of that is exactly the kind of information we need to give you a useful, honest first answer rather than a generic one.

We do not ask for more than we need. If you are exploring whether enrollment makes sense for your land, we need to understand the parcel before we can have a real conversation with you. If your ten-year plan is coming up for renewal, we need to know what the current plan says and what has changed on the ground. If you recently inherited or purchased an enrolled parcel, we need to understand the existing conditions so we can advise you on your next steps. You can read more about what those conversations typically look like on our FAQ page.

Information you share with us is used only to respond to your inquiry and, where you have asked us to, to prepare or update a forest management plan for your property. We do not sell your information, share it with timber buyers, pass it to logging contractors, or provide it to any third party for marketing purposes. The forester working with you is on your side, not on the side of a mill or a harvest crew, and that independence extends to how we treat the details you share with us.

One important point: Vermont's Use Value Appraisal program, which most landowners know simply as Current Use, is administered jointly by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Department of Taxes. Those agencies, not us, are the authority on eligibility requirements, enrollment deadlines, and any land use change tax that may apply to your parcel. The annual application deadline is a fixed date on the calendar, and it is worth confirming it directly with the state. We will always point you there rather than paraphrase rules that only those agencies can interpret with authority. You can find links and context on our services page.

We keep contact and property information only as long as it is reasonably useful, typically for the period we are actively working with you plus a sensible window afterward in case you have follow-up questions or return for a plan update. Paper notes and physical maps are stored securely and disposed of carefully when they are no longer needed. Electronic information is kept on password-protected systems and is not stored on shared or public platforms.

If you have questions about what information we hold or how it is being used, just ask. You can reach us directly through the contact page or request a project quote and include your question there. We will give you a plain, direct answer.