What I want to emphasize here is that crystal clear water in the video. This is the stream down the hill from our harvest, shown in the other pictures. Loggers in Virginia protect the waters of the Commonwealth and my stream management zones make sure of that.
Other photos show my thinned trees. The Diamond Grove place is the first one. We bought it in 2005. You could not see the little trees, since they were dominated by the grass and brambles. Now it is their first thinning.
I take a lot of satisfaction in this harvest. My “hobby” makes some money, supports some jobs and goes into useful products.
And I just love my forests.
Owning the land and being responsible for deciding what to do has changed how I look at the woods. I used to see what was there in front of me, i.e. trees as they were. Now my mind’s-eye view has grown to encompass past, present and future forests, i.e. I remember it was and think of what will be.
Trees are more than wood and forests are more than trees, so I also think about the animals, plants besides trees, flowing waters and living soil – the alpha and omega.
Our forests in Virginia are sustainable, but that is not good enough. We are working toward regeneration, making our forest ecosystems healthier year-by-year, decade-by-decade.
Other pictures show Chrissy on the ATV. She enjoyed riding around. Last two pictures are the harvesting being done by Kirk McAden’s company. Chrissy asked me how I know what to do with our forests. I told her that I don’t know, but I trust people, like Kirk, who do.
That is another thing about being a forest owner. You become intensely interested in the biotic communities on your land AND the human communities that use it too.