‘America’s First Wilderness’
Following the unchecked extraction of timber and bluestone by early European settlers to feed growing city needs, the Catskills were made famous by authors, artists, trout anglers, and craftspeople seeking a conservation ethic in land-use policies. During the late 1800's, the Catskills gained national significance as the birthplace of the American landscape painting movement. These artists profoundly affected the way a progressing society viewed their place in the natural world and have since inspired farmer and woodworker alike to uphold the traditions of a working landscape and a reverence for the land they love.
A Long Tradition with Wood
For centuries in the Catskills, there has been an intimate connection between people and the forest. Early farmhouses and barns were framed and planked with hemlock lumber, and their floors and millwork made from oak, maple, or white pine. From baseball bats in Cooperstown to rustic garden settees in Woodstock, roughly 1,500 jobs depend on the wise-use of Catskill forests to support the local wood products industry. READ MORE>>>