by Theresa Maida

Dan and Jodi Hudon, from Remsen New York, a small town near the heart of the Adirondacks, are happy to be new members of NYFOA. In the beginning Dan Sr. and Wilma Hudon, Dan’s parents, and Dan purchased their 360 acre woodland in 1992. At that time the family did not understand and was not aware of the 480A tax program. The Hudons used the trees from the forest land to heat the company business with hot water wood boilers.

Dan Hudon and his wife, Jodi are business owners in the community as well. They own Hud-Son Forest Equipment on Route 12 in Barneveld. They produce wood processing equipment for the forest owner. The complete line of equipment can be seen at www.hud-son.com.

Over the years the Hudons took advantage of the resources their land provided, including hunting whitetail deer, making trails for their ATVs, and harvesting the wood for heat. Much of the woodland consists of hard and soft maple, ash, cherry, hemlock, white pine, yellow birch and beech trees. Once Dan and Jodi were married in 1993, Dan sawed out two homes with the company’s sawmills; one home they sold, the other they still live in today.

The property has about 25 tillable acres which is used by a local dairy farmer. This tillable land is quite inviting to wildlife such as turkeys, whitetail deer and even some black bears, which enjoy visiting the corn fields each year.

Dan and Jodi have always tried to practice good forest management, even before they were aware of the 480A program. They would harvest overmature, “wolf” trees which dominated the upper canopy and inihibited successful regeneration in the understory. The management practices the Hudons put in place helped in creating an environment that permitted blackberries to grow creating a habitat for more wildlife to discover the property.

The Hudon’s joined the 480A program in 2014. They hired Al Scouten, a local private forester, to manage the tree harvesting. He was impressed with how well the Hudons managed the woodlands themselves. Many are unaware of how much hard work is required to to clean up trees that are damaged by the snow, ice and wind each year. The Hudons harvest about 50 cords of wood a year, while still more can be harvested sustainably if there is a need.

The Hudons use their property for recreational purposes as well. New York state funded snowmobile trails and the main #4 Trail from far western NYS, Buffalo to Lake George, runs directly through their property. This trail can be taken to Trail #7, and runs north to Canada from the NYS trail system.

Dan and Jodi joined NYFOA after Dan attended a seminar at Hamilton College. The equipment the family company offers, in conjunction with their vast woodlands, have been very important to Dan and Jodi’s livelihood. Dan hopes to share the knowledge he has gained over the years from owning a large wood lot and enjoying the property through management and recreation. After the Hudons gained an understanding of the 480A program they decided to purchase the property that adjoins their current woodland. It is a 98 acre piece of property with a camp on it. Their forester, Al Scouten, assessed the land before the Hudons made the decision to purchase it, and advised them to keep 60 acres to put in the 480A program. They sold the remaining land and camp to a friend who enjoys deer hunting and the serenity of the locale.

Dan and Jodi would encourage any NYS forest owner to join NYFOA, and to take full advantage of all the educational and networking opportunities that membership offers.

Theresa Maida currently maintains the website and graphic designs at Hud-Son Forest Equipment. She spent 16 years working at a local newspaper as editor and production manager. She lives in upstate New York with her husband Dale.