It’s funny how things seem to come together if you let them.  I’m usually the one that charges right by it, but this time it happened on its own. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated our new location at 12 Smith Farms Road and the launching of Root Cause, an initiative to raise awareness to the use of local forest products.  It’s also about sustainability and honoring the materials found in these mountains.  And even still about supporting local businesses and the communities you choose to build or remodel a home in.  I keep hearing, “When are the jobs coming back?”  My question is, “What are the jobs going to be when they come back?”   We will always look for opportunites for innovation and new paths for employment.  But we should also be making the most of what we have right here…businesses and builders that utlilize local forest products.

It is not about chopping down trees either.  It’s about working with land owners, both private and public, and helping them get the most from their land use plan. (You do have a land use plan right?) Why would you not want to inventory and cultivate every foot of your property or maintain your current forests by keeping out invasive species.  You would also be playing a role in inventorying what species are here now and how they are being affected by our current environment.  Lord help us if we have another blight that tries to wipe out another native species, but if we do this helps contain it or maybe even stop it in it’s tracks.  Your trees and shrubs and plants have value, both monetarily and environmentally. And there is no value you can place on the beauty of our many forested mountains. Anyway, Root Cause continues to evolve with time.  It is our hope to build something that can be used to create awareness and educate the public about what is available to them in the backyard.   If anyone out there would like additional information on Root Cause feel free to drop me a line: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it