Our Mission and Forest Management
Philosophy
The
mission of Next Generation Woods, Inc. is to produce wood products in the most
ecologically respectful manner to preserve and enhance the forests of our next
generations. We’re basing our corporate strategy on our belief that we didn’t
simply inherit Nature’s resources to use for our immediate needs—we have a
responsibility to protect them for future generations.
Next Generation Woods, Inc. bases it’s
operating philosophy on the 200-year success of Northern Wisconsin’s Menominee
Tribal Forest. The Menominee forest
has been continually, but selectively, harvested for over 200 years. It's
produced over 2 billion board feet of lumber yet contains the same volume and
mix of trees of wood as it did after its first formal inventory (done around
1800.)
The
concept is to leave the forest crown intact by taking only a few selected trees
from an area every few years. The
Menominee have done this by taking the worst and leaving the best for the
future (the same way Nature "manages.") It respects the forest as a
continually renewable resource, as an investment for the future, and as a unique
ecosystem worthy of continuing.
What this means in practice can be
found in detail at the
Forest Stewardship Council's website. While we aren't certified
according to the FSC standards yet, we use them as our own standards. They
happen to be the highest standards in use and are, we feel, the most
environmentally, economically, and socially responsible.
Who we are...
The principals of Next Generation
Woods, Inc, are Gail and Harry Groot. Involved in sustainable
agriculture since 1977, they've added the values and experience gained in producing
healthy food from healthy soil for local customers, to the forest on
SunriseValley Farm at the southern tip of Montgomery County in Virginia.
They've put the "take the worst,
leave the best" forest management philosophy into practice on their 110 acre farm near Riner VA
since 1983. Logging and farming with horses for fifteen years, they now
use a small four wheel drive tractor to allow more time for value adding
activities.
Gail is the manager for the farm's
herd of Dairy Goats (Registered Nubians and Toggenbergs, and meat crosses) while
Harry focuses on NGW as it's Operations Manager. Together they continue to
raise free range and pasture raised poultry for eggs and meat. In 2001
they repopulated the farm with a Heritage Breed Turkey (Narragansetts) and are
working with the
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy to support their efforts to preserve
heritage livestock breeds by bringing them back into production.
If you'd like more information on any
of SunriseValley Farm's livestock or products (like Goat's Milk Soap,) please
write us at:
sunrise@usit.net.
Our Narragansetts Gail with some kids!
| 
Next Generation Woods,
Inc. 