Displaying items by tag: Marissa Mackay, Luther Forest, Chuck Gerber, George Fredericks, Juliana EllsworthHowe, Carol Luther, chainsaw

MALTA – On Tuesday, as the sun dropped below the tree line in Luther Forest, several dozen local homeowners appeared in a clearing off Fox Wander Road to voice their concerns about logging operations that began in April.

Luther Forest is known for streets designed with distinctive “loops” that reduce through traffic and maximize residents’ exposure to densely forested “common” areas, complete with recreational trails. Most of the tree cutting has taken place in those common areas at the behest of the Luther Forest Corporation.  

“My number one thing is the safety of the kids,” stated Wineberry Lane resident George Fredericks. He said chainsaw crews have left behind many trees—or “leaners”—that pose risks of falling on children and adults who use the recreation trails. “I want cones out when you’re in there,” Fredericks insisted.

Marissa Mackay, a part owner of the Luther Forest Corp., is the granddaughter of Carol Luther, the last surviving descendant of the family that started planting trees on the barren lands of Malta and Stillwater south of Saratoga Lake nearly 120 years ago. 

Mackay had organized the 5 p.m. gathering on Oct. 17 to address the slew of complaints from residents regarding dangerous trees as described by Fredericks, and significant damages to trails reportedly caused by heavy machinery in the common areas. 

“Luther Forest Corporation began in 1898,” Mackay said in a prepared speech. “We are, as my great- great-grandfather was, stewards of the land.”

The company she now runs, Mackay continued, “maintained the timber rights and development rights, among others, in the deeds to all of the common areas to assure the residents that purchased homes here would not have the risk of a neighbor building in the center of their loop.”

She quoted from the official pamphlet that was provided by Luther Forest Corp. to homeowners when the neighborhood was originally built more than 40 years ago. It said the company “will continue harvesting, pruning and reseeding the forest in keeping with the soundest practices of timber, wildlife, watershed and recreational management.”  

“This is not a new operation that is taking place presently, nor is it an operation that will disappear,” Mackay said. “The sustainable forestry practices that occur in one area are typically every 10 to 15 or 20 years, depending on forest growth and species of timber. It is a labor of love and respect for my roots.”

Mackay went on to say “no paycheck could cover the amount of disappointment I have in the humanity of some residents in this development who have stooped to certain acts like putting water in our machinery, or beer cans and notes of harassment towards my crew. This is vandalism. It’s illegal.”

Chuck Gerber of Saratoga Land Management, which performs most of the tree cutting in Luther Forest, joined Mackay in her presentation. The company continuously harvests trees on the 3,500 acres of property that are still owned by the Luther and Mackay families, down from an original holding of 7,000 acres.

If there are problems with trees left behind, Gerber told those gathered, “we will take care of it.” He offered his phone number and contact information to Fredericks.

Similarly, Mackay made it clear that her phone line is always open to homeowners. 

Other residents requested that work crews place better signage near active logging operations. Still others asked to be provided with maps of precise cutting locations ahead of time, and how long the logging would last in general.

Gerber and Mackay explained that unpredictable market forces influence what types of trees Saratoga Land Management crews can harvest during any given week. That, in turn, determines where in the common areas the crews can cut—and for how long.  

Juliana Ellsworth-Howe, another Wineberry Lane resident who posted graphic videos of the tree cutting sites on social media in recent weeks, admitted that “it kind of came as a shock in the community” when logging crews started their work in April.

She said “it probably would have taken away some of the anger” if the “science of forestry” was explained to homeowners earlier in the process.

There are three separate homeowners’ associations in Luther Forest, which Mackay said bear responsibility for communicating to residents the particulars about her company’s legal rights to cut down trees in common areas. She said repeated attempts were made to inform the associations (HOAs), or their respective management companies, before the cutting had begun.  

In June, the Fox Wander West HOA filed suit against Luther Forest Corp. in Saratoga Supreme Court in relation to the alleged “hazardous” trees and damage to trails.  

“I love living here, don’t get me wrong,” Ellsworth-Howe informed Mackay. “We don’t know who to believe. It’s not a personal attack on you in any way. We’re stuck in the middle right now.” 

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