Author: Christine McGowan
Vermont’s Lafoe Logging Named Northeast Region “Outstanding Logger”
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund In every industry, there are individuals who set the bar. In Vermont’s forest products industry, two of those individuals are Brian Lafoe and his son-in-law, Stan Parker, owners of Lafoe Logging. Last year, Lafoe Logging was named “Northeast Region Outstanding Logger” by The … Read More
Can Vermont’s Forests Help Save the Planet?
The Cold Hollow Carbon project in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is the first co-op model in the country to successfully enter a voluntary carbon market. By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Long valued for timber, recreation, wildlife habitat, and solace, Vermont’s forests are being recognized for providing another, more global, … Read More
Town Forests Bring Vermonters Together, Even While Social Distancing
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund In the era of COVID-19, Vermonters are particularly fortunate to live in a rural state where access to the outdoors is abundant. Even people living in Vermont’s largest city and the epicenter of coronavirus cases in the state, most Burlington residents had access … Read More
New Technology for Vermont’s Oldest Industry
Start-Up Whiteout Solutions Piloting Forest Inventory and Mapping Technology in Northeast Kingdom By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Vermont’s first sawmill opened in 1738, nearly a century before the first chainsaw was invented, not to mention cars or telephones. And it was at least 150 years before that sawmill … Read More
The Vermont Forest Industry Network Launches “The Rough Cut”
The Rough Cut Issue No. 1, May 2020 By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Dear Network Friends, I hope this inaugural Vermont Forest Industry Network newsletter finds you healthy and safe. I’ve started to write this many times in the last few weeks, only to have the world change … Read More
From Cutting Boards to Cutting Face Shields, J.K. Adams Responds to COVID-19
One of Vermont’s oldest manufacturers shifts from wood products to personal protective equipment. By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. As stay-at-home orders rippled through Vermont’s business community last month, one of the state’s oldest manufacturers, J.K. Adams began to experiment with cutting plastic instead of wood. “We have … Read More
For Vermont Entrepreneur, Wood Heat Fits Like a Glove
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund As a young entrepreneur, Sam Hooper carefully considers every decision he makes for his business, and every dollar he spends. So when Hooper, who bought the hundred-year-old Vermont Glove last year, was faced with replacing the building’s ancient heating system, he did his homework. “We … Read More
Lumberjills Gain Skills, Confidence in Game of Logging
Women-only trainings target growing number of female landowners in Vermont. By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund “Learning to use a chainsaw was the most empowering thing I have ever done,” said Caitlin Gosciminski, a natural resources major at the University of Vermont. Gosciminski was among ten women who participated in the … Read More
Vermont’s Original Extreme Sport: The Lumberjack Competition
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Barnet resident Calvin Willard ranks among best in U.S. When most people think about world-class athletes from Vermont, they think of Olympic skiers and snowboarders like Kelly Clark, Hannah Kearney and Sophie Caldwell. And while it’s true that Vermont is a breeding ground for snow … Read More
The Walking Sawyer: Connecting Hikers with Vermont’s Working Forests
Lead image photo caption: Ken Gagnon, avid hiker and owner of Gagnon Lumber in Pittsford, hikes on the Long Trail near Pico, VT. His nickname is “The Walking Sawyer.” Photo by Erica Houskeeper. By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Somewhere between the Oak trees near the Massachusetts border and the Maple … Read More
Post and Beam on Lake Iroquois Keeps the Wood, the Work, and the Dollars Local
Lead image photo caption: George Wilcox and his son Dave Wilcox stand next to the log of a white pine tree that was cut in February on their West Berlin property. Photo by Erica Houskeeper. By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund The story behind Randy Kay’s camp on Lake Iroquois began with … Read More
Loggers, Mountain Bikers and a Tiki Bar: Vermont’s New Working Landscape
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Forest and recreation industries align on East Burke’s Kingdom Trails Sawmills were East Burke’s first industry, bringing brave and adventurous souls to the northern reaches of Vermont to work, establish farms and, eventually, build the local school, church and meeting house that would become the … Read More