Judy and Howard Terry were originally featured in an article on the A COoperative Resource Network (ACORN) website 4 years ago in February of 2007. We checked in on the Terrys to serve as this month’s feature highlight. At the time the Terrys were first interviewed, the ACORN website had just been completed. The first efforts were being made to outreach to landowners in the Westfield and Deerfield watersheds using flyers and radio announcements. ACORN was in many respects built to serve as a forum for landowners such as the Terrys to continue their good work of informing neighbors and friends about conservation options. In 2007 the Terrys were enthusiastic supporters of the website and today continue to cite it as a good resource.  Over the past 4 years the Terrys have shifted their focus towards estate planning as they reflect on their values and what they hope to give to the next generation.

In Blandford, people young and old come to choose and cut their own Christmas trees from the Terry’s 577-acre farm. In 2007, the Terrys told us they were shocked to find that such a large parcel of land was still available in Massachusetts.The farm is nested in protected land owned by the Becket Land Trust which allows for a diversity of wildlife from moose and bear to turkeys and other birds. Over the past 15 years the Terrys have learned the techniques of growing Christmas Trees and love to share those skills with others. The Christmas trees are not sold wholesale and it is the connection to the people and the community that the Terrys value. Their desire for Christmas trees to continue to be apart of the farm drives their commitment to passing these skills on to a new generation. 

The Terrys love to “be in the woods listening to the trees and wildlife talk.” They know that they do not want to see the farm developed into multiple lots, which is why they maintain a firm stance that farming continue on the property. Yet they struggle with the balance between their vision for conservation of the land as a Christmas tree farm and prohibiting uses of the property for future generations. As they have begun to grapple with the issues of estate planning they found a publication “Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland?” to be very helpful.They recommend this publication for anyone thinking about how to pass on their conservation vision to the next generation. 

The Terrys are involved in their farm’s future through estate planning and in the future of their communities through their involvement in a variety of organizations. They are members of the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association, Massachusetts Forest Landowners Association, and the American Chestnut Foundation. Both have participated in the Keystone Program,  which educates landowners and community members about forest management and forest ecology.They helped to create the Lake and Pond Association of Western Massachusetts. Judy is on the planning board in Chesterfield and on the executive board of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.  Through these paths the Terrys will continue to educate themselves and their communities and to share their values for conservation.

More information:

“Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland?”

The Keystone Program 

Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association

Massachusetts Forest Landowners Association

American Chestnut Foundation