Festival of Wood celebrates ‘Goods from the Woods’

By SANDY LONG

MILFORD, PA — One of the Upper Delaware region’s finest festivals enlivens the lush landscape at the Grey Towers National Historic site in Milford, PA on August 9 and 10. Combining art, education, music, crafts and more, the Festival of Wood celebrates the natural and cultural heritage of wood.

Now in its fourth year, the unique event showcases the multifaceted role that wood plays in our lives, while providing a variety of fun and informative activities. According to Lori McKean, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service assistant director for programs and communication at Grey Towers, “The festival reminds people about the many ways we use wood in our lives and how we can do so sustainably, in order to meet the needs of today while conserving this resource for the future.”

McKean notes this is just what conservation leader Gifford Pinchot, who served as the first chief of the Forest Service from 1905-10, had in mind when he introduced scientific forestry to America a hundred years ago. Pinchot’s magnificent ancestral home is host to the festival, which is sponsored by the Forest Service and numerous partners.

The Milford property is itself a repository for hundreds of tree species, and is one of the few places where the public can see European copper beeches, favored by Pinchot, who planted nine of these unusual trees there.

Among the wood-based crafts available during the festival will be wood-turned bowls, sawdust folk art, wooden snowflakes, driftwood sculptures, Windsor chairs, scroll-sawn wood art, handmade dulcimers, handcrafted wood furniture and accessories.

Musical offerings, including bluegrass and Celtic music, will feature wooded instruments such as African drums, recorders, guitars and more. Children can build bluebird boxes with the Gifford Pinchot Audubon Society, build toolboxes with Pike County’s Bob the Builder, attend a magic show with an environmental twist, participate in sing-a-longs and visit with Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl.

Available throughout the weekend will be lectures on alternative forest products, films about wood and forestry, educational exhibits and information on topics such as restoration of the American chestnut tree, private forest landownership and Forest Service wood technology initiatives. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will have forest reptiles and amphibians on hand.

The Master Chainsaws of America will demonstrate artful high-speed chain saw carving three times daily, the Pennsylvania Woodmizer portable sawmill will showcase “From Logs to Lumber” and the Pike County Builders Association will demonstrate “Wood in Building.”

In addition, all three floors of the Pinchot mansion will be open for tours for an admission fee of $4 both days.

McKean is pleased with the festival’s consistent growth and community support. Future plans include targeting certain geographic areas and topics of interest, while strengthening its educational message through programs and outreach. “We would like to engage more partners to add variety to the programs each year and are looking for partners to add Wood in Recreation, Wood in Transportation and Food from the Woods,” she explained. “There is tremendous potential for the community to leverage the festival. We would love to see the business and hospitality industry fully realize the potential of 3,000 visitors in one weekend so that this becomes a community-wide event.”

The Festival of Wood is free and open to the public. Visit www.fs.fed.us/gt or greytowers.org for more information and a schedule of events, or call 570/296-9630.