Thanks to everyone at Northern Woodlands for the warm welcome I’ve received as the magazine’s new assistant editor. It’s a personal and professional pleasure to be working on a magazine I’ve long admired and enjoyed.
In my nearly 20 years as a writer and editor, I’ve penned articles, books, brochures, newsletters, ad copy – you name it. But never before a blog posting. Here goes...
My family and I are busy this time of year selling Christmas trees at our farm in Middlesex, Vermont. (Devoted readers may recall that I wrote an article for Northern Woodlands last year on the joys, and perils, of Christmas tree farming.) I promise not to belabor this one small segment of the working landscape, but wanted to share an observation that’s hopefully of interest.
After “Where’s the hot chocolate?” easily the most-asked question from customers is, “How old is this tree?” Far more than even what type of tree they’re holding, people seem to be interested in a tree’s age. I think for some it’s idle curiosity; for others, the question probably comes with a twinge of guilt at having just cut a living thing down. For these people, I take the time to explain how seed is collected from select trees and grown at the nursery. I point out that we buy those seedlings when they are about 5 years old (though only about a foot tall) and transplant them in our fields. Another 8 to 10 years later, a tree is ready for their home. Don’t worry, I assure them, next spring we’ll plant another tree right beside the stump they just made and the process will start all over again. Most listen attentively and, more often than not, ask some good questions about trees. I should probably have a stack of Northern Woodlands subscription cards on hand for those folks.
One of my first duties here at Northern Woodlands has been to study past issues, not only to better familiarize myself with the magazine but also in anticipation of a special summer issue coming in 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its founding. In that issue, we’ll look back at the early years of what was then Vermont Woodlands, and trace the evolution of the publication, and our forests, over that time.
In reading those first issues, a few things jumped out at me. For starters, the cover and images inside all appear in black and white. It was an elegant magazine even then, but it’s so much more vibrant in appearance today. And, in the first issue in summer 1994, there is not a single email or website address to be found anywhere throughout. It’s stunning to ponder how much technology has changed our lives in just two decades.
But it’s also worth noting the things that haven’t changed. The vision that Stephen Long and Virginia Barlow had in creating the magazine (“Our main concern is for the long-term health and productivity of forests everywhere, and we are open to any ideas that will help achieve this end,” Barlow wrote in the second issue) remains as relevant and important now as it was then.
For personal reasons, one particular article from the very first issue caught my attention. In it, Long talked with a Vermont county forester about the changing way landowners were looking at logging. “These landowners demand a better job. They want the logging to be beneficial for the forest. And they ask better questions,” said Jim White, who has since retired as a forester but remains my father. I know that Northern Woodlands has nurtured that ethic and inquisitiveness over the past two decades, and I look forward to playing a small role as it continues to do so into the future.
Discussion *