Now that my husband Bob and I have built two small sheds and a 110 sq. ft cabin, it was time to take on the Big House. A term generally reserved for a jailhouse, the locked in feeling to this project both financially and physically has us doing two to five with some time off for good behavior.

Harry Case has lovingly managed his 176 acre forest for over 60 years and has now permanently protected it for future generations. At the end of 2008, he donated a conservation easement on this land. Located near to both Putney Woods and Saratoga Woods, this forest boasts over five million board feet of timber. The conservation easement protects this forest from being clear-cut and developed into 35 homes.

…using some of what I learned from our forest stewardship class, I began to clean up parts of our forest, limbing up the large hemlocks, spruces, and firs to create flyways for birds. We got what we set out to do. The unfortunate part that I sort of forgot about, was that we had in effect created the perfect hunting grounds for owls, eagles, and hawks….

When the road to building a “green” house is paved with a little mud.
by Jen Pennington
When we purchased our property, I always knew I wanted to get it certified as a stewardship forest. I loved seeing those cool little green and brown signs along someone’s private drive. How do you get one of those things? [...]