In the 1950s, Hugo Meyer bought abandoned Vermont farms; his family has protected 18,000+ acres

Growing up in Hardwick on a dairy farm, woods were a major part of Andrew Meyer's life. He would often spend time camping and hiking around East Long Pond and as a kid, he visited logging jobs in the area of the Worcester Range with his grandfather or uncle.A history of sustainable timber managementMeyer said his family’s been managing the woods as a working forest since the 1950s, when his grandfather started purchasing land in the region. Hugo Meyer began buying abandoned farmland after World War II to reforest it for timber. In the decades since, the family has owned and managed thousands of acres in and around the Worcester Range, maintaining the land as a working forest. As pressures on land have increased over recent decades, the family felt conservation offered a way to keep the property together and support continued family ownership and sustainable management.“These forests have been part of our family’s story for generations,” said landowner Andrew Meyer. “Conservation offers a way to keep the land together while continuing the stewardship and sustainable forestry practices that have shaped it over the years. We’re proud to be part of an effort that protects the character...