Press Release: Hawke Family Named 2025 Vermont Tree Farm of the Year
Celebration and field tour planned for September 27 in North Bridgewater
North Bridgewater, VT – June 2025 — The Vermont Tree Farm Committee is proud to announce the Hawke Family as the 2025 Vermont Tree Farm of the Year. Their property in North Bridgewater has been a model of hands-on forest stewardship for nearly five decades.
Gerry Hawke’s passion for forestry began early—growing up just a few miles from his current property, he worked in the woods and at the family sawmill alongside his grandfather and uncles. Inspired by Windsor County Forester Jim Billings, Gerry set his sights on a forestry career as early as seventh grade. He saved his earnings from the sawmill and farm to attend the University of Maine, and when he received a full scholarship for his final two years from St. Regis Paper Company, he used those savings to purchase the land that became his Tree Farm. It has now been enrolled in the American Tree Farm System for 49 years.
Throughout those years, Gerry has carried out nearly all aspects of the planning and management himself—while also working with local forestry consultants to apply best practices. An innovator in both equipment and ecological forestry, Gerry designed and built much of his own small-scale logging gear, including a custom skyline yarding system used to extract 106 cords of firewood with minimal environmental impact in the late 1970s. Today, he continues to lead by example in climate-resilient forest management, using mechanical brush cutting and a 4-million BTU propane flaming system to control invasive species—eliminating the need for herbicides.
The Hawke family has hosted numerous field tours and workshops over the years, sharing both successes and lessons learned with fellow landowners and forestry professionals. Gerry is a member of the Vermont Woodlands Association, the Forest Stewards Guild, and a long-standing Tree Farmer.
Please save the date:
Saturday, September 27, 2025 – Join us in North Bridgewater for a celebration and field tour at the Hawke Tree Farm. The day will feature demonstrations of timber stand improvement, small-scale logging equipment, and stories of 50+ years of dedicated forest stewardship.
More details will be shared later this summer.
About the Vermont Tree Farm Program
The Vermont Tree Farm Program, part of the American Tree Farm System, recognizes landowners committed to sustainable forest management. Each year, we celebrate one exceptional Tree Farm that demonstrates outstanding stewardship and innovation in managing working woodlands.
