Touring Forest Industry in the CHC Region
by Nancy Patch
Cold Hollow to Canada has a mission to maintain ecosystem integrity, biological diversity, and forest resilience, with a focus on community led stewardship and the conservation of our working landscape in the face of a changing climate. This focus is based on an ecoregional scale where we produce what we consume in our own backyard to the greatest extent possible within the context of ecological forest management. As any friend of CHC knows we live in a globally significant forest so caring for our backyard impacts the greater global efforts for planetary health. In the northeast United States, we have probably the best forest management anywhere in the world. The best science, the best regulations, the best managers. There is of course always room for improvement, but we have the knowledge and many of us are working to maximize a diverse and resilient forest for the future. Cold Hollow to Canada Woodlots owners are leaders in these efforts.
With this in mind, The Cold Hollow Woodlots groups recently visited three local forest industry operations.
At Laughing Stock Farm (LSF) Forest Products we met with owner and manager Tucker Riggs to see how this family run business is expanding and finding a niche in the local economy. Th sawmill concentrates on hemlock and pine timber ideal for post and beam, and custom projects. I have personally found hemlock beams and shiplap siding for a recent project. Tucker has a strong science background in forestry, wood science and mill efficiency. The work at LSF is meticulously planned and executed. Two generations of the Riggs family are all involved with this business and there is strong cooperation with other forest products industry in the region. One mill helps another by directing customers to find what they need. LSF is truly a community-based business and an excellent example of ecoregional focus.
LSF photos by Jessica Boone
Our next field trip was to Fairfield to visit the Branon Family Maple Orchards. We met with Cecile Branon as she toured us through their state-of-the-art sugarhouse. We were also lucky to see Tom and Evan as they came in with the crew for lunch. Yes, they were out tapping on this January day. Kyle was working at the Bakersfield property this day. The Branon operation includes approximately 95,000 taps on close to 5,000 acres of land. The Branon family epitomizes the goals we at CHC are promoting, sound stewardship, community engagement and conservation. Around half of the property they own is permanently conserved with easements held by the Vermont Land Trust, they are organic certified and recognized by Audubon Vermont as a Bird Friendly sugarbush. The Branon’s have worked with Cold Hollow to Canada as CHC Woodlots members and are part of the Vermont Forest Carbon project. CHC assisted in this project by convening landowners from our region.
Our final field trip was to Columbia Forest Products in Newport. A group of intrepid landowners made the trip to Newport on one of the snowiest days of the year. Kudos to the CHC Woodlots landowners for their dedication and curiosity. Our hosts were Heidi Meyers, Community Engagement specialist who organized his event for us and our tour guide Andy Boisvert, value stream manager. (Boisvert means "Green wood" in old French). There could not be a better spokesperson for Columbia FP than Andy. The tour was so fascinating to see how rotary veneer is made, starting from the log to the final product. The company is employee owned and part of the chain of custody for the FSC Forest Stewardship Council® [FSC®-C017500] certified forestland. All of Columbia’s plywood and veneer mills hold FSC chain of custody certified by Scientific Certification Systems, a global leader in 3rd party certification, validation, and verification. By buying products with an FSC label consumers are supporting the growth of responsible forest management worldwide. Look for FSC certified plywood and it is most likely from Columbia. The day could be summed up with Heidi’s quote. “Many of these landowners have little exposure to the forest products industry and what happens to their trees once they leave the landing. Our tour helped bridge that gap, offering insight into the next stage of the process.”
Bridging the gap was the goal of our three-legged tour, to introduce the CHC Woodlots Program
members to the greater world of forest industry. We hoped to show how crucial our forests are to the
economy of Vermont and to the value that our forest products have in keeping Forests, as Forests in
the long term. We greatly appreciate the time and talent of our hosts. We encourage all to become
supporters and consumers of these amazing groups.