Celebrating Virginia’s forestry heritage
January-February 2025
Michael and Rita Hodges continue their family’s nearly 250-year forestry legacy. (photos courtesy Virginia Farm Bureau Federation)
by Alice Kemp, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
Tucked among Virginia’s 16 million acres of forestland are rich stories of stewardship and family dedication to the land.
“The Virginia Century Forest Program was established to honor individuals and families whose working forests have been in the same family for 100 years or more,” explains Jennifer Leach, Virginia Department of Forestry program coordinator.
“It’s important to recognize families who have made long-term commitments to enhancing the environment and protecting the quality of life for their fellow Virginians through forestry,” she says.
In Henry County, the Hodges family land dates to the American Revolution.
“The land grant was for two parcels — one for 535 acres and another for 300 acres,” says Michael Hodges, who owns Hemlock Haven Farm with his brother, Jim. “They were signed in 1781 by Thomas Jefferson, who was governor then.”
Michael and his wife, Rita, live on the remaining 213 acres, 100 of which comprise a Century Forest. The forest’s pines and hardwoods have been integral to the family’s livelihood for seven generations. The timber has been used to build family homes, barns and fences, and it has also fueled hearths through cold winters.
Today, the family maintains a stewardship plan to conserve woodlands, fencing cattle from streams, planting buffers and creating wildlife habitats. Timber is sustainably harvested and replanted every few decades.
John and Patricia Haile stand in front of the Century Forest that has been in their family since 1844.
ENJOYING NATURE
And beyond the family business, the forest is a place for respite.
“We walk the trails and hike the woods,” Rita says. “We like to take the dogs through the woods … just to get out, see it and enjoy it.”
Michael says it’s their responsibility to keep the family’s 250-year heritage going. “My brother and I each have kids — the eighth generation is in waiting.”
To the east, in Essex County, John and Patricia Haile’s land started as a wedding present in 1844.
“John’s great-great-grandfather was getting married, and his father, Capt. Robert Gaines Haile, bought [Elton Farm] for him,” Patricia says.
That marked the beginning of a 80-year farming and forestry legacy on the 304-acre property, which includes over 100 acres of hardwoods and pines.
“There was a sawmill on the property until 1950,” John recalls. “My father cut black walnut trees, milled them into railroad ties, and sold them to the railroad.”
The timberland now serves as a sanctuary for livestock — shading them on hot days and providing shelter during calving season. The Hailes work with foresters to thin trees and harvest timber. “It’s a renewable resource and does a lot for our environment,” Patricia notes.
The Haile’s Century Forest also symbolizes times of resilience.
“Fifty acres of the property had an improved stand of pines that was first planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps,” John says. To recover from the Great Depression and to help weather hard economic times, then-President Franklin Roosevelt established a program that hired millions of unemployed young men for conservation work. “And planting trees was one of their jobs.”
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- Virginia has the nation’s first century forest program.
- The state has 59 Century Forests, ranging from 100 to 286 years old.
- Participating forestland owners must have a minimum of 20 contiguous acres of managed forest.
- The forested land on Century Forests ranges from 25 acres to 2,593 acres, with an average of 237 acres.
Learn more about the Virginia Century Forest Program at tinyurl.com/3zmkxz7s.