Blog
Member Profile – Stonehenge in Vermont: Jock Irons
Active VWA members and Tree Farmers come in all shapes and sizes, just like their woods. For this issue, we peek in on VWA member and Tree Farmer Jock Irons. Jock was born and raised in Bennington, where he stayed until he…
APHIS changes approach to fight emerald ash borer (EAB)
APHIS has been transparent about the challenges associated with controlling the emerald ash borer The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is changing its approach to fight the emerald ash borer (EAB) infestation that has spread…
Wood Curl Packaging Reduces Waste, Supports Healthy Forests and Local Economy
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Resourceful Vermonters have long looked to the forest for wood heat, building materials, and furniture, but Jim Lovinsky, owner of Sylvacurl in East Hardwick, may be among the first to…
Maple Landmark, America’s “Local Toy Company,” Rooted in Family, Forest
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Mike Rainville, founder and owner of Maple Landmark, landed his first wholesale account at age 15, when a traveling salesman noticed the wooden tic-tac-toe boards Mike had for sale at…
Andrews Community Forest Update
Not much progress has been made over the last couple weeks at Andrews, due to wet weather and wet fall soils. The logger has been able to work a couple dry days and dry areas of the forest but probably will not…
Managing for the Birds at the Catamount Community Forest
by Ethan Tapper, Chittenden County Forester We will be moving forward with some wildlife habitat management work in late December or early January at the Catamount Community Forest in Williston. This will consist of using a “brontosaurus” (a grinder head mounted on…
Capitol Christmas Tree set up in Montpelier
The Capitol Christmas Tree this year comes from a property in Wallingford. Len Cadwallader co-owns the Brookvale property with his wife, Mary Ann Cadwallader. The tree farm has been in the family since Len Cadwallader’s grandparents purchased it in the 1930s. Read…
A Message from Kathleen
In a normal year, Thanksgiving would be all about desserts – pies, pumpkins, puddings – to satisfy everyone’s sweet or savory palate. It would be a day of earnest preparation for the 20+ people who would show up for a Thanksgiving Feast…
Farm Credit East Releases Report Analyzing Economic Impact of Agriculture, Fishing and Forest Products in the Northeast
Enfield, Conn., November 9, 2020 – The agriculture, commercial fishing and forest products industries are key economic engines in the Northeast, according to an economic impact report recently released by Farm Credit East, the region’s largest agricultural lender. The report found that 75,657…
Wood for Good receives needed equipment from North Star Leasing
BURLINGTON, VT – Eric Axelrod has transformed a surplus of firewood in his Jericho, VT yard into a budding fuel assistance program designed to help Vermonters stay warm this winter. With the help of his two sons, Devin (14) and Logan (10),…
Andrews Community Forest Update
by Ethan Tapper While the weather is slowing us down, we’ve been able to make this process, and logs are starting to pile up on the “log landing.” A log landing, also called a “landing,” “log yard” or “header” is generally an…
Science Annex construction and Workforce Development project at a glance
The Science Annex will be Vermont’s first “mass timber” building. Mass timber is an umbrella term for engineered wood products used in commercial construction. Glue-laminated timber, cross laminated timber, nail laminated timber, heavy timber decking, and other engineered and composite systems are…
Loggers and Lagers: How Healthy Forests Help Brew a Better Pint
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund The story of von Trapp Brewing begins fifty years ago in the forested hills behind the resort, where a natural spring bubbles clear water up to the surface of the…
Novel canine scent detection program holds promise in PA’s fight against Spotted Lanternfly
A new pilot training program from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) points to a promising solution in Pennsylvania’s efforts to thwart the Spotted Lanternfly. By utilizing scent detection dogs to identify Spotted Lanternfly egg masses, Penn Vet researchers…
SPEAR-O: On the Tie that Binds
by Leo Laferriere Connectedness is a long word and a little hard to say. But it’s a relatively recent word we English-speakers have come up with to describe a sense of belonging to or having an affinity with something, an ability to…