Guardians of the Forest

“When you know that trees experience pain and have memories and that tree parents live together with their children, then you can no longer just chop them down and disrupt their lives with larger machines.” ~ Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees

We decided to work with a Forester in our next step for site development. A good Forester can become your partner for helping sustain a healthy forest for the next generations of trees, and in turn, the next generations of family. Foresters can also serve as a broker between timber companies, to ensure you are receiving the best value for your potential sale and securing a detailed contract for your property and investment. We know all this and more because of Michael Chiverton.

He has shown as much care for our land as if it was his own. A Manager for one of the largest maple syrup producers in the US, he is at one with trees – so knowledgeable and wise, intuitive, consistent and an all around great person – we could not have found better. Over the course of this year, Mike has walked our property with us to determine our needs and wants from the land, both in the present and long term. In addition, knowing we are bird lovers, he was very keen on keeping the density in some of the tree species to allow for better bird breeding and viewing in the years to come. 

So in a nutshell, Mike, a forester, a professional who knows the value of timber and the ecology of woodlands, has not only guided us through the timber process, but also has helped ease our minds and feel optimistic about our future forest. Here are some considerations we discussed:

• Diseased Trees – Ash, Elm, or age 
• Building Site and potential driveway 
• Maintaining hardwood species and long term health of forest 
• Thinning density in some areas and removing dead growth 
• Wild habitats 

Through the next several months, Mike had an active role securing timber bids, and eased the burden of selecting the best timber company for the job. We chose a company that would not use fully mechanized equipment and each tree would be felled  by hand. While it’s a longer process it ensures the least impact to the ground and the trees left standing. 

Once the contract was finalized, Mike then verified periodically that the job was being carried out as outlined; this was especially helpful as we were not local to the property.  

The end result netted about 6-8 trees per acre with the exception of where the main clearing will be for the building site. The sale of the lumber allowed us to pay down our mortgage on the property by more than a 1/4, and set aside monies for upcoming projects.

With time, the decisions and actions we made to our woodlands will heal; new life and regrowth will occur throughout our forest, providing new experiences for all. Thank you Mike for the care you show in, and for, your work – and with our forest at TenirBon.

“The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future.” ~ Gifford Pinchot, Natural Rivals