Each year, ten to thirty acres are marked for cutting. We take great care to minimize forest disturbance, maintain a healthy balance of both young and old trees, leave some areas untouched for wildlife refuges, ensure attractive forests for visitors, and maximize use of the logs for lumber, firewood and chips. The areas that are cut each year are not harvested again for about twenty years.

Shelburne Farms is a member of the American Tree Farm System (http://www.treefarmsystem.org/) , which verifies that the farms’ management plan, both in writing and in practice, conforms to a sustainable standard.   It is through ATFS that the farm is ‘green certified’. The farm is also a member of Vermont Family Forests, an association of more than 30 landowners whose mission is to cultivate local family forests for economic and social benefits while protecting their ecological integrity.

One of our best customers is the Beeken/Parsons Woodshop, an independent enterprise that resides in the Farm Barn. For the past several years they have focused on transforming low-grade lumber into beautiful furniture with "character-marks"— knots, bark or other defects that make many logs less valuable. This niche market gives Shelburne Farms and other woodland owners new flexibility in harvesting trees. Some of this character wood is being stockpiled in anticipation of a major future construction project—the conversion of the Old Dairy Barn to a residential education center. An important goal of rehabilitating the Old Dairy Barn is to create a learning environment where the furniture and walls that surround you are themselves educational tools reflecting the principles of "green" forestry.