We call our home and forest the Tree Shepherd Woods Ecostery. Ecostery is a merging of the words ecology with monastery. "Ecostery" is the ecological version of a monastery; a place where knowledge is accumulated, preserved through using it, and shared. (for Ecostery Foundation of North America please visit www.ecostery.org )

And we call the kind of forestry we do ecoforestry because it is forestry centered around meeting the needs of the forest. This is in contrast to traditional forestry which is anthropocentric forestry; forestry centered around meeting the needs of humans. In Ecoforestry, to meet the needs of the forest means choosing and taking trees and plants out of a forest according to the forest's active adaptation to present conditions of soil, water and climate, coupled with ancient first peoples' stewardship. Nature will select out its own members which are not adaptable to the present conditions of the forest. Indicators can actually be read from plants and trees before they actually get selected out, and trees displaying them are the only trees we harvest. This is called natural selection.

An ecoforestry ecostery is forested land used as a class room. Observing the forest, implementing Nature’s own management and showing it to those who come to find out, is an ecostery.

Ecosteries are starting to abound around the world, from North and South America, to Eurasia. Although ecosteries exist worldwide, below are highlighted some on the North American Continent:

Including our own Tree Shepherd Woods in Olympia, Washington, 20 acres. Showcased are: natural selection cutting, staying off the soil when removing logs, on-site milling of logs, drying lumber, and making finished commodities (Nisqually TreeArt). Squeezing all possible value out of what's harvested sustains the forest, and humans, dependent on the forest. This is a SmartWood Certified forest. The Nisqually Indian Tribe is consulted for their ancestral stewardship of the land, as it was once theirs. Sharing information occurs through forest tours, public slide presentations, and showing Nisqually TreeArt Furniture made from our own trees. Consultations on others' forests bring in $10/hr. It is mandatory to pre-arrange visits by calling (360) 459-0946 or toll free 1-877-326-3477  (1-877-ECOFIRS) or email jeanforest@cco.net