Local forest project has long-range results in mind
By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
Green tubes sprouting up along Route 136 in Forward Township are a sign of more green to come.
The tubes are protecting tender young saplings as part of a managed forestry program to turn an overgrown farm into a top-notch forest habitat that includes healthy hardwoods.
“This is the first time we’re right up against the road,” said Janet Sredy. “When one fellow stopped and asked if it was something for gas development, I thought wow, people really don’t know what we’re doing.”
Beckets Run Woodlands is a private forest owned by Sredy and her husband, Raul Chiesa. The 110-acre site has been in Sredy’s family for 96 years and the goal is to keep it in the family for another 96 years as a sustainable forestry enterprise, Chiesa said.
“We are restoring the health of the forest, improving the trees, wildlife and water so that we can bring back fully all the ecosystem services the forest can provide,” Chiesa said.
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