Our land management needs to come full circle, and this project demonstrates one way it can be done. Over the course of two years we harvested timber, built a barn, and grew a wildflower meadow, without sacrificing the long-term health of the ecosystem. The timber we harvested was processed by a local sawyer, and then used to build a 20’x40′ barn by Hilltown Tree and Garden’s employees. This barn is used as housing for goats and turkeys, as well as a workshop and hay storage. Finally, a half-acre wildflower meadow was sown by seed in the area where the pines were cut down. The wildflowers support the life of the honeybees that are kept on site, livestock that are pastured there, and a diverse array of other wildlife that are frequently spotted in this area. So much has been accomplished with this single area of forest, and yet nothing has been lost.
The stand of beautifully tall and straight pines that will soon be cut down.
The pine trees have been bucked into sections that are ready for the saw mill. A portable saw mill owned by a local sawyer will be hired to come to the site and transform the trees into lumber.
The pine boards have been cut into various dimensions and are stickered and ready for curing. After many months of curing, the air-dried wood will have lost enough moisture to be ready to build with.
The finished barn built by Hilltown Tree and Garden. This barn features a workshop, hay storage, and housing for goats and turkeys.
In the area where the pines were cut down, a wildflower meadow has been replanted. This mix of wildflowers was selected as food for the honeybees Jim keeps, and it supports a diverse array of other wildlife as well.
Remember those goats and turkeys that live in the barn? Here they are foraging for food on the land that provided the wood for their home. They turkeys eat the seed heads and the goats eat the leaves. Turkeys provide meat and goats provide milk.
