MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 6 West Virginia Forestry Association Mountain State Forestry | Spring 24 www.wvfa.org I’m writing this note in early February, but the weather is beautiful and it’s nearly 60 degrees. Spring is on the way, and I expect to hear the early migrating woodcock peenting just before dark in the field in front of my house in the next week or so. My Facebook feed is full of pictures of happy anglers with stringers full of trout. I’m envious and hope to get out on the water soon. Spring will be here in no time offering wonderful weather to re-connect to nature. What connects you to the forest? Is it as simple as enjoyment of time spent there walking/running/ biking/hiking? Maybe you take this a step further and define your time in the forest as “forest bathing?” Is it appreciation of wildlife and their forested habitats? Do you love hunting and fishing or digging ramps or harvesting morel mushrooms and consuming the bounty provided by the forest? Maybe your only tie to the forest is financial through your job in the industry or ownership of forestland purely for economic benefit. My personal connection to the forest, as is the case with most of us, is a combination of all these items. Foods harvested from the forest play an integral role in my life. A ramp dinner with ham and fried potatoes is an Appalachian culinary delight. When I go through a spring without eating ramps I truly miss them. Whether you dig the ramps yourself or get them at a community ramp dinner, it is still a tie to new growth in the forest in the spring. Although I rarely go out specifically searching for morels, those that I do find while hiking or spring turkey hunting are a real treat, particularly when combined with recently harvested wild turkey. My original interest in the forest started with hunting and fishing, and I still enjoy these pursuits every chance I get. Am I also a forest bather? Absolutely! Although the way I forest bathe may not meet the definition held by forest bathing purists. Some of my favorite forest bathing experiences have been during solo timber cruises. At midday when I’d stop to eat the flattened sandwich in the back of my cruising vest, I’d allow my mind to slow down and just hear the sounds of the forest. During a slow day of hunting when the weather is warm and dry, I’ll search out a tree with just the right shape at the base, lay the gun or bow down, sit down and just enjoy the quiet. The forest bathing key for me is turning off the noise of the outside world and tuning in to nature. My financial interest through my job with WestRock is another tie to the forest. Our ability to make paper, and therefore my ability to earn a living, rely on wood harvested from a forest. Early on in my career I was in the forest almost every day strengthening my connection to the forest. Now, 27 years later, my work is still forestry work, but it is all behind the desk in my home office. I only get into the woods for work four or five days a year. Even though I still rely on the forest financially, I know that if my job changed and I suddenly found myself making widgets out of plastic, I would still have a strong connection to the forest and a desire to see the forests managed properly. I urge you to think about your own personal connection to the forest and take time this spring to find a peaceful place in the woods, turn off the digital world, turn off your thoughts about work, finances, politics, and anything else that keeps spinning in your brain. Think about how you impact forests and how forests impact you. Take a moment to remember what drew you to own forestland or work in the forest industry and make sure the business and politics of forestry haven’t loosened your connection to nature. Aaron Plaugher Board President Hunting deer, or just watching them during a walk in the woods? Find your peace in the forests of West Virginia.
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