Author: Christine McGowan
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
Lucas Jenson Makes the Case for Local Wood
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund People in the forest products industry find their way to wood in different ways. For some, it’s a part of their family DNA. For others, it’s a passion. For Lucas Jenson, owner of The Tree House Hardwoods & Millshop, it’s a vocation that aligns with … Read More
A Tale of Two Luthiers
By Christine McGowan In the hip city of Burlington, Creston Lea builds one of a kind electric guitars, while in southern Vermont, Douglas Cox turns out violins for classical musicians around the world. Creston Lea and Douglas Cox live about as far apart as two Vermonters can get, but are connected by their craft as … Read More
Building a Network to Create a New Forest Culture in Vermont
By Christine McGowan As development creeps into our rural landscapes and woodlot ownership changes hands, our forests face an uncertain future. Vermonters value working landscapes, but do they value the work it takes to keep these landscapes intact? Not unlike other Vermont business sectors, our forest and wood products industry has struggled with an aging … Read More
Landowners are Essential Partner in Vermont’s Forest Products Economy
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund From urban forests to thousand-acre parcels, Vermonters own 80% of the state’s forested land. Vermont’s forests are one of our greatest natural resources, contributing to the economy through industry and recreation to the tune of $3.4 billion, and supporting countless non-economic benefits such as clean … 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
Joel Currier and His Forwarder, Ingrid
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Northeast Kingdom logger models responsible forestry with small-scale, low-impact logging. “Good forestry equipment does not have to be big and heavy,” says Joel Currier, owner of Currier Forest Products in Danville, Vermont. “There are big operations doing good work in Vermont, but for my purposes … Read More
Cooperage Finds Niche in Vermont Craft Spirits Industry
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Green Mountain Grain & Barrel producing locally-sourced, locally-made oak barrels. Woodworkers by hobby and Vermont National Guardsmen by training, Tony Fletcher, Josh Waterhouse and Mac Broich are finding their niche as coopers for Vermont’s craft spirits industry. Green Mountain Grain & Barrel was founded in … Read More
J.K. Adams: Woodworking Design and Innovation for 74 Years … and Counting
By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund If you ask Malcolm Cooper Jr. how long he has been involved with J.K. Adams, he’ll tell you 68 years, or since the day he was born. His father, an engineer by training, bought a half interest in the Dorset woodworking business in the fall … Read More