Managing Our Woodland Assets

Woodland areas are a part of a farm that are far too often overlooked. We have determined that our woodlands are a long term, sustainable asset. We now have the tools to put a high financial value on this asset.  

We have planted over 1200 trees on our land in the past decade. We use trees for fuel, fiber and feed. A mature oak tree will drop a few hundred pounds of acorns each season. A fully grown apple tree the same. When we turn in a herd of growing pigs, they will eat up every single apple and acorn on the ground.

Woodlands also require management, though. Each year, we cut, prune and select trees based on their age, health, and overall role in the ecosystem. In years past, we end up with a lot of firewood. Firewood is low value. That is all changing with the addition of our bandsaw mill. I have not fully analyzed the increased value of our woodlands with this tool in hand, but I have a general idea. It is a LOT. I cannot wait to begin learning this skill and turning its finished product into beautiful structures. The hoop structures you see here are functional and cheap --- but they are hideous to look at. I am more than excited to replace them with a structure that is functional AND beautiful. The Firehouse is going to be seeing some of this wood very soon. Seriously though - how cool is it that we can now build structures from the wood that is grown RIGHT HERE on the land!?

Her's a short look at some of the wood work we did this week along with a mediocre attempt to narrate it. ✌️ - Dustin