Category: Hanson Family Forest

I’ve participated in multiple surveys of small woodland owners over the years, and each time we ask the question “why do you own forestland,” the value of “legacy” is almost invariably in the top four reasons expressed. Woodland owners want to know their efforts as good stewards will endure and be passed on to future generations – whether within their own family, or other like-minded stewards.  The importance of legacy has grown significantly for me since my father passed away a few weeks ago. I gained my awe and appreciation for nature, and my stewardship ethic, working side-by-side with him

There is a 28 year-old Douglas-fir plantation on my family’s Bucoda tract that was established following clearcutting by the previous owner. The trees have grown into a deep, dark, primordial atmosphere, characteristic of densely canopied conifer stands, that belies the otherwise innocent nature of such a young and artificially simple forest.

A reoccurring revelation breaks on me anew nearly every time I spend an appreciable amount of time in the forest; one that renders me mute and pondering in stunned silence: the forest provides everything we need to sustain our lives. Food, medicine, shelter, clothing, tools, and right livelihood

A running list of fungi I’ve documented in my family’s forests.

When you learn everything that’s edible in the forest, it’s really hard to starve to death. Michael Pilarski Foraging for wild edibles on my family’s land has always been one of the highlights of having our own woodlands.  Throughout every season there is something we can pluck and pop in our mouths, which I’ve always found a novel way to relate to my forest. Over the years my kids have learned many of the native plants that are edible, and whenever I introduce a new one the inevitable question is “palatable or just edible”?  Though we routinely graze across the

My family recently bought a new tract of forestland near Bucoda, WA about five miles north of the town of Centralia. The land straddles a clay hill that is part of a vast ripple of prehistoric marine sediment laid down millions of years ago when this area was submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean. The soils, a residuum of weathered sandstone, glacial rock, and volcanic ash are incredibly fertile when unlocked with a biologically active humus. Combined with abundant rainfall and a mild maritime climate, this region of Southwest WA is home to one of the most productive forest ecosystems in