There was abundant sunshine in our West Virginia forest this year. We timbered our land just prior to COVID. I don’t believe the land had been timbered in my lifetime and I just felt it was time. With the help of a professional forester, we decided to employ a selection cutting method for the timbering process. And while I was careful in choosing who we used, I also knew that there was a big difference between “selection cutting” and “selective cutting.”

When timbering for profit, it’s easy to only cut out the most valuable trees with no attention paid to the maintenance of a sustainable silviculture system. Living so far away, I could only hope we had made the right choices. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.

So our trip back to West Virginia this year was the first time I had seen the property since the timbering. I had only been given reports on progress and completion. I must say, I was pleased with the results. Our forest looked healthy, at least to my untrained eye. And the thing I noticed most was the light. I have never seen so much light coming through our forest.

The Same Forest, Only Different

There was sunshine in places I had never seen it. Of course, we made our hike up to Flat Rocks on a day with a high blue sky, lots of sun, and no breeze. That’s not atypical of the days we’ve chosen on previous trips. When I looked through past photos of our hikes up the creek, the light was simply different.

The forest was much thicker, darker. This fresh light was giving the forest new life. The remaining trees were standing tall, and the leaves were brighter. The ground was covered in a blanket of fresh growth. Plants were flourishing near Flat Rocks that I had never seen in such abundance.

And so, now I have images that have a different feel. I like it. It feels more magical than ever. Here are a few for your enjoyment. All of these were taken on parts of the creek that run through my property.

Jeff Turner

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