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In 2009, the WAC Forestry Program is working with facilities and communities in the region who may be good candidate sites for woody biomass energy.
If you're interested in learning how your community can benefit from woody biomass, you can download Woody Biomass Energy: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) and contact the WAC office at (607) 865-7790 for more information. |
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( Stephen Robin |GreenTree |Rustic Contemporary |Archive) |
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Custom Woodworker Goes Hi-Tech in Woodstock
by Collin Miller
Local woodworker Stephen Robin sees a lifelong dream finally coming true. With the aid of a matching grant from the U.S. Forest Service and the Watershed Agricultural Council’s (WAC) Forestry Program, Robin added a state-of-the-art piece of woodworking machinery to his Woodstock studio. The new equipment kick starts the first phase of a signature line of solid wood furniture made from local hardwoods that Robin has been creating in his heart for years.
 The new machine, called a CNC Router (short for Computer Numerical Control), will allow his company to make big strides in production capacity. “Curves are as easy to cut as straight lines. Complex 3-D structures are relatively easy to produce. Even the number of machining steps that require human action have been dramatically reduced by automation,” states Robin.
In addition to creating limited runs of furniture with the new equipment, Robin plans to offer CNC machining services to other shops. “In the Woodstock area, there are many guitar builders and woodworking studios like mine who will favor a local alternative,” states Robin. “Craftsmen spend thousands of dollars to ship products across the U.S. to other shops with the CNC technology. Now, they can save time and money by keeping the wood local.”
Paul Henderson, lead designer and project manager for the company, feels that a sustainable model for small business involves working to improve conditions and long-term job security for a new generation of woodworkers. “Woodworking is a learned skill where time and money are invested to secure talented people.” Henderson says. “The company has started early in developing a plan for it to thrive for many years with the younger woodworkers on our crew.”
 Receiving the grant has been a catalyst for taking this small furniture business in new directions. “These ideas have been brewing for many years,” states Robin, who is exploring how to tie the project into his long-term goals to create a woodworking school. “We’d like to create an atmosphere where aspiring craftsmen can spend a week learning the essential techniques of furniture building,” states Robin.
“One of the main goals of the grants program is to provide incentives that help local wood-using businesses manufacture regionally harvested material into value-added products,” states Collin Miller, a Forestry Specialist at WAC. “The more wood that remains in the region for processing into furniture and other products,” Miller says, “means that more dollars stay in local communities and provide local people with local jobs.”
For more information on economic assistance for the forest products businesses
of the region or to request a copy of the Catskill Mountain Region's Wood
Products Manufacturers Directory please call Collin Miller, Forestry Program
Specialist at the Watershed Agricultural Council at (607) 865-7790. |
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GreenTree Furniture Expands Promotional Efforts
by Collin Miller
 Last month, Don and Jenifer Green, owners of GreenTree Home Furniture & Accessories, completed a project to improve sales and marketing of their signature line of hardwood furniture. The project was funded, in part, through a matching grant from the Watershed Agricultural Council’s (WAC) Forestry Program.
“One of the main goals of the grants program is to provide incentives that help local wood-using businesses manufacture regionally harvested material into value-added products,” states Collin Miller, Forestry Specialist at the WAC.
“We had come to the realization that in order to grow and connect to a larger client base, we needed to branch out and investigate other options for marketing.” states Jen Green who deals with sales and promotion for GreenTree.
Over the past year, GreenTree exhibited their products at tradeshows in Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. As part of their marketing plan, the team also built an online showcase of furniture and home accents on their website www.greentreehome.com by recruiting photography and design services from other Delaware County businesses, Galene Studios and Aleph & Co. Like many small American furniture companies, GreenTree’s strategy aims to attract high-end furniture buyers and interior designers.
“National advertising is the great divider,” states Green. “It legitimizes a business, by branding it.”
From the company’s studio in Treadwell, Don Green – co-founder and principal designer – builds each piece by hand using solid woods and veneers to make tables, sideboards, seating, jewelry boxes, home accessories and other limited run pieces. Prices range from about $280 for a set of picture frames to thousands of dollars for larger home furnishings. 
Don Green sees real promise in the added marketing effort. “We’d love to see more of our business develop locally,” Don says, “but competing on a national level is where we need to be.”
The Greens felt that the major key to the execution and ultimate success of their marketing plan was funding. “We are a small business with a limited budget. The grant funds were crucial in getting the plan off its feet.”
For more information on economic assistance for the forest products businesses
of the region or to request a copy of the Catskill Mountain Region's Wood
Products Manufacturers Directory please call Collin Miller, Forestry Program
Specialist at the Watershed Agricultural Council at (607) 865-7790. |
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Rustic is the New Contemporary
by Collin Miller
A knotted fence lines the road winding to Bill and Barbara Olendorf's
place in Putnam County. An arrangement of twisted, woody debris reads
"TWIGS" on the sign posted adjacent to the driveway welcoming
visitors. When asked if the Olendorf's had cobbled in the "Z"
as a way to complement their unorthodox style of rustic furniture the
response is humorous. "Actually," says Barbara, "we tried
to get a personalized license plate from the DMV and were surprised to
find that "TWIGS" was already being used by a landscaping company
in our neighborhood." At that point, the father and daughter team
adapted their 25-year old hobby into a full-time operation known as TWIGZ
Natural Furniture.
 Having
spent much of the last decade traveling the country as a consultant to
prospective restaurateurs, Barbara Olendorf learned the pangs of starting
a business from scratch and the satisfaction of watching it become successful.
Tired of the long hours and shrewd competition of the restaurant industry,
she found herself drawn back to her "roots" - building rustic
furniture with her dad, Bill. Throughout much of her life, Barbara has
watched and learned her father's techniques. He's a trained engineer with
a background in finance and a penchant for fine woods craftsmanship. "Once
friends and family saw what we were able to create", Bill says, "we
started experimenting with different designs during our spare time and
giving them away as gifts."
Early in 2004, the Olendorfs thought about making rustic furniture a full-time
venture. Marketing through furniture outlets like Kingston's Noble Tree
Gallery, entering juried shows in the Northeast, and consulting with other
well-known rustic furniture designers has helped the business grow. "I
wanted to see if my experience with the entrepreneurial process could
work for us too...," explains Barbara. "Plus, I always loved
building things with wood."
Recently, TWIGZ collaborated with rustic craftsman, Daniel Mack on a commission
for an Aspen, Colorado home owner. Mack, author of four books and a rustic
furniture and design teacher, encouraged Bill and Barbara, helping them
to establish connections with other rustic workers such as Judd Weisberg
of Lexington, NY. After viewing their work, Mack invited them to help
form a Rustic Cooperative in the Webatuck Craft Village in Wingdale, NY.
Bill hopes the cooperative will develop into a school for fellow rustic
artists and an outlet for wood materials and supplies.
TWIGZ uses various species to bring out the character in design, function
and form of their furniture. Recognizing the tremendous waste of wood
that can occur when land is converted from forest to development in suburban
areas, the Olendorf's began acquiring skinny twigs and saplings that would
otherwise be chipped up and discarded after a lot clearing. The team went
further in their search for material by developing relationships with
many forest landowners in the New York City Watershed region east and
west of the Hudson River interested in promoting forest health through
timber stand improvement (TSI). TSI is used by professional foresters
to improve forest health and control species composition by light thinning.
TWIGZ also works with "the grandfather of the rustic movement"
Jerry Farrell - proprietor of Once Upon A Forest. Farrell has helped the
Olendorfs locate Robert Hoyt, a woodsman and supplier of some of the best
hand-peeled, rustic components like Canadian yew, striped maple, aspen,
and yellow birch.
This past fall TWIGZ received a grant from the Watershed Agricultural
Council's Forestry Grants Initiative to expand a cramped workshop, upgrade
tooling and equipment, and hire a marketing consultant to launch a website
and develop brochures. With funding from the USDA Forest Service, the
grants assist forest products businesses in the New York City Watershed
region and strengthen the regional forest-based economy. The forests and
farms of upstate New York filter the drinking water for 9 million metropolitan
New Yorkers. The Olendorfs' use of small-diameter stems from local sources
and alliance with past grant recipients continues to have a positive impact
on forestry in the region.
"The grant has been instrumental in our ability to grow the business,"
states Barbara Olendorf. In the coming months, TWIGZ will work with forestry
consultants throughout the Watershed region to acquire more small-diameter
hardwoods, cedar logs, and other forest materials. Their catalog of rustic
designs include bedroom and dining sets, rockers and other chairs, lamps
and children's furniture. All hand-made from locally harvested hardwoods
peeled with as little machining as possible. To minimize waste, TWIGZ
developed a line of home accessories such as picture frames, mirrors,
and candle sticks made with pieces of wood leftover from furniture-making.
The Olendorfs welcome contacts from any landowners wishing to conduct
TSI on their property as they are always looking for new materials. Anyone
that would like more information about TWIGZ is also encouraged to contact
them. Bill or Barbara Olendorf can be reached by calling (845) 878-6770
or e-mail at twigz.ny@earthlink.net.
For more information on economic assistance for the forest products businesses
of the region or to request a copy of the Catskill Mountain Region's Wood
Products Manufacturers Directory please call Collin Miller, Forestry Program
Specialist at the Watershed Agricultural Council at (607) 865-7790.
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