As farmers we cultivate crops and harvest them; that’s what we do. When reading this statement, it is likely your mind became fixated on a picturesque farmstead off in the distance with beautiful row crops wrapping with the natural contours of the land. Or perhaps, you saw a beautifully manicured vegetable field, with a farmer picking the fresh produce with a sort of humble, yet proud smile, knowing that his hard work had been completed, and the final product would be off to market to be enjoyed. These depictions are a beautiful aspiration for farms to achieve; however, I am calling attention to a crop that often isn’t thought of as that, and that is a woodlot.
Just like other crops, there is a time to harvest wood, both for lumber and for firewood. On our farm we are blessed to have over 50 acres of woodlands. The trees that are removed, whether through acts of God or selective harvest, are utilized by us to heat our farmhouse and keep her old bones warm during the winter chill. Amidst any healthy stand of timber, there are young, maturing, and old trees. As we take inventory of our lots, selective logging has proven beneficial in two major ways… to harvest for lumber and also to thin the woods, allowing more sun to come through the canopy layer and help the new trees develop properly.
As with any of our agricultural pursuits, our aim is to work with the land, keeping a holistic and sustainable mindset to each activity and considering how a decision can affect other aspects of our farm. There are truly many eco-systems on a farm that function with such synergy that any decision you make for one, surely will have an impact on the other. As we took time to stroll through the wooded paradise this fall, listening to the birds chirp, watching the squirrels franticly work to store a winters bounty, and witnessing a divinely created season transition to the next, releasing the beautiful tapestry of orange and yellow colors; it was clear to us that the lot had an overabundance of trees and thinning some valuable trees to make lumber, would benefit this community making it to thrive all the more with new trees having space to continually grow.
Last Saturday we met with a logger to walk through and mark out trees that would be suitable both in size and quality to be removed. As we trudged through the melting snow layer below, we marked White Pine, American Hickory, Shagbark Hickory, Red/White Oak and various other species of trees. By the end, a plan had been created that would selectively remove the overabundance of trees in the lot, leaving plenty for our woodland creatures to be comfortable and keep the ecosystem in balance. It is our hope that through the harvesting of our crops, the land will be better for future generations; the same as it is for each and every one of the crops that our farm has the privilege to produce. As our project to remove the excess timber continues, we will be sure to keep you updated on our progress. In the meantime, may God bless you and your family with a healthy and happy New Year.
Sincerely,
John VanDerwerken