Northern Voices: Willie Woods, Burke’s New Community Forest

On Green Up Day, I spent time with members of the Burke Town Forest Subcommittee and Burke Conservation Commission at Willie Woods, Burke’s new town forest.

At first glance, it looked like a simple volunteer workday. People were setting posts around the parking area, planting wildlife-friendly shrubs, studying maps, talking through trail use, and discussing the next steps for the property.

But the longer I listened, the more the story opened up.

Willie Woods is not just a patch of protected land. It is a community project years in the making. It is a place where local history, forest management, wildlife habitat, education, recreation, and volunteer commitment all come together.

The story includes the Willie family, who once farmed the land. It includes vernal pools that support wood frogs, salamanders, and fairy shrimp. It includes habitat work for birds, forest resilience projects, partnerships with organizations like NorthWoods Stewardship Center and the University of Vermont, and a group of local volunteers who care deeply about creating something that will last.

One line from Don Hale stayed with me: “They’re not making land anymore.”

That thought sits close to the heart of the whole project. The people working at Willie Woods are not simply maintaining a property. They are helping Burke build a relationship with its town forest — one that can serve future generations as a place to walk, learn, observe, and belong.

My full story, “Willie Woods: Burke’s New Town Forest Grows Into a Community Classroom,” was published by North Star Monthly.

You can read the full article here.

Northern Voices is where I share stories of the people, places, and communities that shape life in the North Country. Willie Woods is one of those stories — a forest still taking shape, and a community helping it grow.