Shelburne Farms: Forestry

Shelburne Farms manages about 400 acres of woodlands, ranging from stands of northern hardwood to softwood plantations of pine and spruce. These living ecosystems provide heating fuel for our buildings, lumber for wood products, habitat for wildlife, and an open-air classroom for teaching the lessons of ecology, "green forestry" and environmental stewardship.

Each year, ten to thirty acres are marked for cutting. We take great care to minimize forest disturbance, maintain a healthy balance of both young and old trees, leave some areas untouched for wildlife refuges, ensure attractive forests for visitors, and maximize use of the logs for lumber, firewood and chips. The areas that are cut each year are not harvested again for twenty years.

In 1997, Shelburne Farms joined Vermont Family Forests, an association of more than 30 landowners whose mission is to cultivate local family forests for economic and social benefits while protecting their ecological integrity. As a member of this group, Shelburne Farms received "Green Certification" in 1998 from SmartWood, a project of the Rainforest Alliance and the National Wildlife Federation’s Northeast Natural Resource Center. Buyers of our forest products are assured that an independent organization has verified the ecological soundness of our forest management plan.

One of our best customers is the Beeken/Parsons Woodshop, an independent enterprise that resides in the Farm Barn. For the past several years they have focused on transforming low-grade lumber into beautiful furniture with "character-marks"— knots, bark or other defects that make many logs less valuable. This niche market gives Shelburne Farms and other woodland owners new flexibility in harvesting trees. Some of this character wood is being stockpiled in anticipation of a major future construction project—the conversion of the Old Dairy Barn to a residential education center. An important goal of rehabilitating the Old Dairy Barn is to create a learning environment where the furniture and walls that surround you are themselves educational tools reflecting the principles of "green" forestry.