Schuyler Thomson and Wes Gomez, a forest technician at Great Mountain Forest, at the controls of the new sawmill.

Thanks to the generosity of a Norfolk family, the foresters at Great Mountain Forest (GMF) have a new piece of equipment. Heather and Schuyler Thomson underwrote the purchase price of a new sawmill for GMF. Forest Technician Wes Gomez has been appointed as the chief operator.

Gomez and Forest Manager Jody Bronson have been working on training GMF interns in its operation. Using the new sawmill, the interns are learning how to scale and tally logs, as well as developing an eye for what a good saw log looks like in the woods. GMF Manager Hans Carlson says, “Practical hands-on work like this is an invaluable addition to what they are learning in their university programs. We are proud to play a part in training the next generation of foresters and conservationists. We are very grateful to the Thomsons for this very generous support of working forestry and education at Great Mountain Forest.”

Photos by Bruce Frisch.