Author: Christine McGowan
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
Forests, Filtration and Farms, Vermont Company Bets on Biochar to Clean Up Lake Champlain
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Luke Persons and Roger Pion wanted to start a business, preferably one that kept them connected to the forested working landscape in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. With backgrounds in logging, excavating and trucking, the friends had heard about an emerging market for biochar, but knew little … Read More
2018 Emerging Woodworker of the Year, Towards Nightfall, Finds Home in Vermont
Neither Jared Williams nor Catherine Emil planned to stay in Vermont after graduation, but “felt it was impossible to leave…in a good way.” After completing a four-semester immersion program at Vermont Woodworking School, the two friends intended to part ways, returning to their respective homes in New York and San Antonio, Texas. As they considered … Read More
Ski the Trees, Protect the Forests
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Skiing backcountry terrain in Vermont is hardly a new idea. Originally a mode of transportation for Vermonters stranded by unpassable, snow-covered roads, skiing in the woods dates back to the early 1900s when visitors from Norway introduced the novel idea of strapping long, wooden slats … Read More
Danielle Fitzko Named Vermont’s New Director of Forests
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Meet Danielle Fitzko, the state’s new Director of Forests and the first woman to hold the position. Danielle, or Danny to her friends and colleagues, spent the last 15 years growing the Urban and Community Forestry Program, designed to help communities plan, plant and care … Read More
A Year in the Life of a Christmas Tree at Russell Farm
David Russell walks through 365 days on a Vermont choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Most of us think about a Christmas tree for a few weeks in December, but David Russell, owner of Russell Christmas Tree Farm in Starksboro, Vermont thinks about them just about every … Read More
Wood: Vermont’s Locally Grown, Renewable Fuel
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Vermonters have a long history of heating with wood, and most of us know there is nothing like the warmth of a well-stoked wood stove on a cold winter night. It is only in recent years, however, that advances in technology have made wood a … Read More
Fighting Climate Change One Rocking Chair at a Time: Vermont Woods Studios Makes a Case for Buying Local
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund “Buy local” is a common refrain around Vermont, and many of us feel good about supporting small, independently-owned businesses, farms and restaurants around the state. For Peggy Farabaugh, owner of Vermont Woods Studios in Vernon, the idea has roots that are much deeper and farther … Read More
Teaching the Trade: Vermont Schools Train the Next Generation of Loggers, Foresters, Builders, and Artists
By Christine McGowan, forest program director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Like many trade occupations, woodworking was traditionally passed along from mentor to apprentice, one generation to the next. Young adults might have been introduced to the fundamentals of woodworking in high school shop class, producing the mandatory birdhouse or book shelf, but most who entered … Read More