Along the Massachusetts turnpike in western Hampden County where the trees seem to stretch on forever is the tree farm of Howard and Judith Terry. Previously owned by a man from Connecticut it was put on the market after the gentleman's children were not interested in keeping the land. The Terrys, a retired couple with grown children of their own, point out that this is an increasingly common problem as our population ages. The next generation may not be interested in owning the land or may not be able to afford to own the land.

In the mid-1990’s Howard Terry was looking for property around 100 acres to hunt on in Vermont when he got a call about a 577 acre piece of land in Blandford that had just gone on the market.  “In Massachusetts?” Terry said, “I didn’t think there were properties of that size in Massachusetts.”  After visiting property with his wife, Judith, they decided it was for them. “There were turkey and deer sign everywhere,” Howard said with a twinkle in his eye. The property also came with about 40 acres of Christmas trees that according to Judith varied from 5 to 20 feet tall “and there was a lot of hardwood in growth.” They spent the next 11 years learning about the Christmas tree business and bringing the fields back. They now have a bustling Christmas tree business augmented by bows and wreaths made by Judith. “We learned about growing Christmas trees by reading, through joining and being active in the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Growers Association, as well as talking with others” say the Terrys. They have also been active with the management of their forest. They enrolled their land in Chapter 61A in 1994 to reduce their taxes. In the face of an eminent threat from the hemlock woolly adelgid, the Terrys had their first timber sale in 1999, which removed a large percentage of low quality hemlock. According to Howard the area has come back mainly to hardwoods. He has also supplemented the regeneration with blight resistant American Chestnuts.

In general the Terrys are very active in the community and with various conservation organizations. In addition to the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association they are members of the Massachusetts Forestry Association, and the American Chestnut Foundation. They have both attended Coverts, a program that educates forest owners and community conservation advocates about wise forest management, wildlife habitat enhancement and forest ecology, sponsored by UMass Extension. They participated in the EOEA sponsored watershed initiative and were helpful in the creation of the Lake and Pond Association of Western Massachusetts. Judith is also on the planning board in Chesterfield.

How Can Others Get Involved?
When asked how they would encourage others to get involved in their land or community they said how important it is to get on others mailing lists "so you find out what's going on" says Judith. They encourage joining organizations or town boards and participate by attending meetings. They also gave high praise to the Coverts program as well as Massachusetts State Agencies specifically the Service Forestry Program, UMass Extension, and the Forest Stewardship Program for providing lots of good information and support.