+ Letter from the Publisher: This White Pine Monograph is dedicated to family-run lumber mills. These mills bring a texture to the industry that guides and underscores the very fabric of our industry. And while we could not interview all of the family-run mills for this project, we hope to in the near future.
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e set out to learn more about running a family lumber mill by sending our research team to interview some of them in the Northeast. The research team also captured video of the interviews, and a brief web-short is available at http://easternwhitepine.org/movie/. Our hope it to extend this project into a full-length documentary film on family run lumber mills. Our goal is to capture the generational stories and share them with the next generation of mills owners and managers. Throughout the interviews completed for this issue, we heard the phrase “sawdust in our veins.” That metaphor manifests itself in hard work, environmental stewardship, and a dogged determination through volatile market conditions beyond our control. Most NELMA mills, family-run or not, tend to have sawdust in their veins. But to see the direct lineage is a fascinating look at a part of our industry that is both under-celebrated and fading fast as the economics of running a mill, the hard work involved, and the rural locations fail to, in some cases, attract the upcoming generation. What will happen to our family run mills if we are unable to pass them forward? It’s hard to tell. So for now, we celebrate. I hope you enjoy these stories of lumber mill families. If you would like to add your own voice, please don’t hesitate to reach us at monograph@easternwhitepine.org. Enjoy,
Jeff Easterling Publisher of the White Pine Monographs President of the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA)
PS: If you have a project or idea you would like us to consider featuring in an upcoming Monograph, please email monograph@easternwhitepine.org.
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