Ethan Goss

• What kind of work do you do?
  • I run a family farm and own a sawmill on the property.
• What type of forest property do you own? (i.e. what type of use and natural community type)
  • We have a mix of Northern hardwoods,cedar swamps and mixed conifer stands of Spruce, fir and hemlock as well as a sugarbush.
• How long has your family been working on your land?
  • We are in our 6th generation.
• What do you think is the most economically viable way to make family forest lands economically profitable in the long term?
  • The forest land needs to be sustainably managed. To do this,appropriate scaled equipment/technology needs to be utilized. Vermont is in a perfect place to import just such technology. Two things need to happen, one- land owners need to sell the low-grade wood fiber via wood chips, firewood, or pulp. Two- value added markets are crucial for survival. Landowners need to understand their woods and how to use their resources to fill market segments. Sometimes this will involve researching the market first to then tailor  forest management practice.
• How do you feel about carbon markets?
  • Our forests in Vermont contain biomass ready to be utilized pure and simple.  One concern I have is wood fiber sorting and getting maximum use at the point of harvesting. That is, with larger logging operations, yield is paramount and sorting for grade often takes a back seat. A look at Scandinavian practices would not be a bad to go.
• How do you maximize the profit from a log in your forest?
  •  Understand your market potential of each and every tree-it’s not brain surgery
• Do you have a higher profit margin when you create finished forest products like flooring or furniture?
  • In general yes, but not always. For example, certain niche markets like long timbers or ship masts can yield high returns with less time  and effort so the margins are better.  Understanding value-added also means increasing time,quality and refinement of your products. This may also result in additional marketing and production costs.
• How does this affect your management practices?
  •  I have to really pay attention to the wood species and what they can and can’t yield.  Within a stand I know what species and/or trees will grow well and hopefully thrive, single them out and let them reach their maximum potential before harvesting.
• What are your thoughts on certification? (FSC/SFI).
  • There seems to be a place for both. SFI is within the industry and self-regulated “look at us…aren’t we doing a great job!!” while FSC is third party regulated “look at them…aren’t they doing a great job!!”  We have chosen the FSC approach simply because we know we are trying to do the right thing and I think FSC holds a bit more credibility.
• What was the deciding factor for you to decide to enroll in the FSC certification program, since the certification comes at a very high price?

  • In our business we already practiced sustainable harvesting and met criteria for FSC. We felt it would set us apart from other mills and we would benefit from that as well as showing our support for sustainability. Our initial cost to join was offset because we are members of VT Woodnet and they have a group certification program.

• Are you also part of their chain of custody certification?

  • YES

• Are you enrolled as a single land owner or are you part of a group certification?
  • The mill is under group certification with VT Woodnet. The forestland is under group certification with Redstart Forestry.