Outrunning – Or Not?
Converting more than a dozen of our forests’ oldest, largest, and most beautiful cedars from standing, newly dead ghosts into paneling for who knows whose home gives me time to reflect. Here is some of what’s floated to the surface: We all know of individuals or communities that have successfully outrun a serious threat. Perhaps […]
Around We Go – Again
A big decision has recently made by the Hyla Woods team and our wonderful bird research partners. After cleaning up the mess created by the party held to celebrate 18 years of monitoring birds in a forests and completing a full 15 year cycle of monitoring, we faced the hard decision of “what now?”. After […]
Onwards Through the Mystery
It comes up often in our conversations – “could climate change be playing a role in what we’re seeing here…..?” Whether it is dying trees, greater intensity of rain fall, abnormally long and hot dry spells, we wonder. The scientists within – and among – us point out that we can never fully know. On […]
Calling It Like It Is
It all seemed so simple, logical, and clean – until it wasn’t. When it came to directing the course of our sawmilling and processing operation we would, of course, take charge. The decisions would be made by us – which of the forest’s twelve tree species to mill, what products we’d make from the wood, […]
New Years Day – Salmon Style
The best part is that I perceived the event with something other than my eyes. Just as folks in the upper Nehalem have for thousands of years before us, we’d been watching and waiting. Would they return? If so, when? With the creek’s flow at near record lows, our hopes we’re high. While doing maintenance […]
PSU MBA Students Focus on Forest Issues
The Hyla Woods Team is excited to see students from all ages and disciplines come to the forests to seek answers to questions that are important to them – and to us. This fall it was our pleasure to work with students in Portland State University’s Masters in Business Administration program. Here is a taste […]
Catlin Gabel 7th Graders’ State of the Creek Report – 2018
2018 Annual State of The Creek Report – Catlin Gabel 7th Grade Class Golden maple leaves wash downstream as Coho salmon climb against the current on their return to Lousignont Creek. One season ends and another begins. For the seventh-graders at Catlin Gabel School, this marks the end of another rewarding field season at Hyla […]
Woodworking With Forest Vitality in Mind
The Hyla Woods team wants to salute our local, furniture making partner for doing a good thing. Though it may seem small, we think it is significant. Much like the chef who calls for the most select cuts from an animal without considering what the rancher will do with the remainder of the animal, for […]
State of Lousignont Creek – Catlin Gabel School Report 2017
Editor’s Note – Due to challenges posting this important eco-narrative report, we need to ask for your help in viewing it. If you double click on each of the five panels below, they should blow up into a legible for you. Sorry for the trouble and thanks for your interest. 1,000 cheers to the Catlin […]
Who Knows – Where the Wood Goes? And How the Boat Rows?!
Every year since we added a sawmill and dry kiln to our operation fifteen years ago, we have enjoyed watching the list of cool projects made from the forests’ wood grow longer. Over the years we’ve followed with excitement as our wood was transformed into the body of new boats – but this latest is […]