True Stewards of the Land

 

    Bill and Mary Lou Schmidt steward a 140-acre tree farm in Dummerston VT.  Bill and Buddy, their Bernese mountain dog,
were kind enough to take me on a tour of their beautiful property. 

       Encompassed in their 140 acres of land are miles of hiking/skiing trails. Their forestland supplies their house and other outbuildings with 8-9 cords of firewood each year. Timber harvesting also takes place here. A mixed red and white pine plantation that was last thinned in the mid 80’s is due to be thinned again. Bill wants to make sure he has all of the buckthorn (an invasive species that would thrive in more sunlight) eradicated before proceeding with his thinning. This will be done by hand pulling the smaller plants, cutting and stump treating the biggest ones, and using a backpack sprayer to chemically treat those in between. 

      Bill and Mary Lou give written permission to 12-15 hunters each year to hunt deer and other wildlife on their property. In 1985 they worked with the Vermont Coverts organization to create a two-acre opening that would establish good grouse habitat (meaning young thriving saplings and seedlings for forage and cover). In 1995 as the growth in the first opening had progressed from an early growth stage to mid-stage, it was time to create another opening, this time 1.5 acres. They have future plans to create two more openings that will complete the different forest types ruffed grouse seem to prefer for their habitat.

     The Schmidt’s lease a 700-tap sugarbush to a neighboring sugar maker. There are signs of old sugaring activities on the property including a below ground sap tank made of stone and plaster. A rusty evaporator is the last clue showing where a saphouse was located.

     The most noticeable growth on the property is 20 acres of field covered with 20,000 Christmas trees. The six varieties - balsam fir, Canaan fir, white spruce, scotch pine, white pine and blue spruce - are sheared, shaped, and cared for yearly by Bill. The Schmidts have been in the Christmas tree business since 1978 and are members of the New Hampshire/Vermont Christmas Tree Association.

     In 1981 the Schmidt’s worked with forester Charlie Richardson to develop a long-term forest management plan. One of the results was that their enrollment in  Vermont’s use value program, a program they remain in today.

     Over the years Bill Schmidt has been involved in many organizations. He worked for the Vermont Land Trust from 1982 to 2001 and during that time helped conserve over 140 properties in southern Vermont as well as start the Mettowee Valley Conservation Project.  He and Mary Lou continue as members of  Vermont Coverts  and also belong to the Windham County Woodland Owner’s Association of which Bill served as president for several years. Bill was also director of regional planning for Windham County. Bill and Mary Lou’s Elysian Hills Tree Farm was named Vermont's Outstanding Tree Farm of the Year in 1988 and it is very easy to see why.

     For more information on Elysian Hills and how you can get one of their Christmas trees or other Christmas decorations visit http://www.elysianhillsfarm.com/.

 

This ACORN monthly highlight by: Sam Schneski, Forester, VT Forests, Parks, and Recreation.