Turning Trees into Syrup: Sustainability in Action

By Sarah Olson ’26

When driving onto campus on Lamplighter Way, you might notice there are trees missing near Crossley. The trees were at the intersection of Lamplighter and Memorial Grove Road, and also at the faculty houses on that road. 

They unfortunately had to be cut down, because they were at the end of their lives, and one had even fallen. However, they were not simply tossed away. The entire trees are being used by NMH Plant and Facilities as well as the farm, because NMH aims towards sustainability in every part of campus life.

Currently, they are sitting behind the Plant Facilities building, where they’re being sorted and sawed. There are about 60 trees that were cut down, so there is plenty of wood to go around. There are some restrictions for the wood that was cut down, since most of it was pine, which is a weaker type of wood. Drying the wood is also a long process, but once it's ready, lots of projects are planned. 

Mainly, the wood will be used for furniture, trim work, small projects, and other things. Plant Facilities plan to use the entire tree. Joe Ruscio ’05, manager of trades, says, “We're really happy when we can improve something for the better. And we're happy fixing things and doing little projects, but we really strive to get a whole project from start to finish and make sure it's done right.”

The NMH farm is also taking advantage of the abundance of wood. When the trees are cut for lumber, they are cut into rectangles, and the edges of the trees go to the farm. With the help of Adam Finke, the assistant farm manager, workjob students cut the wood into rectangular slabs that will then be used to fire the evaporator that turns maple sap into syrup. 

Nancy Hanson, farm director, says, “If the trees had to come down for whatever reason, we might as well make the best use of them as possible. We're even using the waste product of the waste product, so nothing of those trees is getting wasted.” So with a bunch of workjob students’ effort, and time, she says, “We’ll turn these trees that were cut down into syrup.”

Sarah Olson ’26 is a rising senior from Ketchum, Idaho, whose workjob is in the communications office.

Photo: Cody Vassar ’26 stacks wood from the trees on the NMH farm. Photo by Adam Finke.