Meet Mark and Katie Raishat

VWA Article Archives - Vermont Woodlands Association

Meet Mark and Katie Raishat

Mark and Katie Raishart are the owners of Foxglove Farm in Leicester, VT. Foxglove Farm is a small farm and homestead that combines a working forest with agritourism. Featuring a log cabin which serves as an Air B&B, eggs, maple syrup, handcrafted jewelry and knitted apparel, trails for recreation, and more, the farm welcomes visitors

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Welcome Executive Director Kate Forrer!

Hello VWA community, I am so thrilled to be joining the VWA community as your next Executive Director! For many of you, I am not a new face. I come to VWA from a long career in forestry outreach and education at UVM Extension. During my tenure there, I had the opportunity to partner with

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Bill Amaru: Land and Sea

Bill Amaru is the owner of a 50-acre woodland in East Corinth, VT. Bill purchased the property in 2000 and for the past twenty years has been working to rehabilitate the land for hardwood production and conservation purposes. Bill is a part-time resident of Vermont as he and his family live in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

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250th Anniversary of The Pine Tree Riot

Tom Thomson owner of the Thomson Family Tree Farm with grandson Jaden Thomson. Tom is holding a 24″ diameter cross-section of a White Pine Tree which in 1690 the King claimed were Mast Trees for his Royal Navy, then in 1722 a law was passed which claimed any White Pine Tree 12″ diameter (which Jaden

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Ernst Tree Farm: 50 Years and Counting

Jay and Ginger Maciejowski are the owners of Ernst Tree Farm in Athens, VT. The tree farm consists of 90-acres of woodland and pasture. The land has been managed by the family since the late 1930s and is nearing its 50th anniversary of being in the Vermont Tree Farm program. The beginnings of Ernst Tree

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Making a Case for Community-Scale Forestry

With a mindset of staying small, a sawmill in Fletcher sees wood products as the next “go local” movement. By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Tucker Riggs, owner of Laughing Stock Farm (LSF) Forest Products in Fletcher, is busier than he’s ever been. As the pandemic and resulting supply chain issues more than doubled the price

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Connecting People to Place, Middlebury Grads Return to VT to Start Woodworking Business

By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network When three friends at Middlebury College couldn’t find the perfect gift for their boss, they decided to make something special. Nathaniel Klein, Jacob Freedman, and Alex Gemme wanted to thank their supervisor at the Middlebury Snow Bowl for helping them establish a scholarship program. “We had such a

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Identification and Treatment of Invasive Insects

Forest pests are accumulating in the United States at a rate of 2.5 new pests and pathogens a year – and once they are here, they can be hard to eradicate. According to the June 2021 update from the State of Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, the state observed sightings of Emerald Ash

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A Reflection on the Connections of the Woods

The rock wall reaches only to my knee now, and the hike up does not feel as long. My parents no longer have to pack a backpack of juice boxes and crackers to motivate me to reach the top, and my father does not have to hold my hand anymore as I climb over the

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