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More than 20 schools will join Smokey House Center's free Saplings to Stewards program, planting American ginseng while learning forest farming and ecology.

Click to read our fall 2026 newsletter.

Alleys of strawberries growing between rows of honeyberries. Curving lines of elderberries planted along the contour of a stream. Maple trees tapped each spring while patches of forest botanicals such as ramps and ginseng awaken beneath their canopy. Sheep grazing in the shade below diverse canopies of chestnut and hickory. Chickens feeding on mulberries raining down from above.

A poem by Finn Horak

One of the best ways to get to know a piece of land is arguably to just go out and walk it.

My mind buzzed with what ifs, and I could feel my stomach tightening as I drove north up I-87. I’d made this drive about a million times, trekking up to Middlebury, a place that felt like home after four years; a place where I developed an identity, where I found people that I loved, where I felt comfortable....

Things I will miss from my summer spent at Smokey House Center

This summer, the Future Forester Apprentices had a system of shared meals in which we took turns cooking for the group in pairs. We have been eating very well and improving our culinary skills, so I wanted to share a recipe of my own for you to try. I hope you enjoy how it turns out as much as I did!

An excerpt from my journal: Summer 2026

Smokey House Center, a 5,000-acre forest and farming research nonprofit in Danby, Vermont was awarded a Farm to School Provider Grant through the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, which has funded the installation of a new Berry Alley Cropping system on its main campus this spring and early summer.

Click to read our spring 2026 newsletter.

Point of view: a summer reflection from a Future Forester Apprentice

Click to read our winter 2026 newsletter.

Women in Forestry potluck, hosted by Smokey House Center in Danby, VT

A team of forest farming researchers, advocates, and growers developed and co-led two workshops focused on forest botanicals this past October.

This summer, the Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC) welcomed seven students to survey biodiversity and study tree growth patterns in the sugarbush.

What impact does maple sugaring have on the broader forest ecosystem?

Students from Red Fox Community School participated in a hands-on environmental stewardship experience at Smokey House Center last Friday, planting persimmon trees as part of the Center's new Community U-Pick Orchard.

Smokey House Center and Manchester Community Library will welcome award-winning author Kai Thomas for a two-day residency supported by Vermont Humanities.

Click to read our fall 2025 newsletter.