Ethan Niederer

Licensed Arborist Services - Light Rowing Craft - Custom Wood Projects

I offer a complete set of services, from managing woodlots for wildlife habitat and productive longevity, to pruning and removal of hazardous trees; from crafting fine custom woodworking projects and small boats, to planting new trees suited to your site.  I emphasize efficiency and technique, working alone or with one assistant, and use only small scale machinery. Doing more with less allows me to keep my operating costs low- and to pass the savings on to you.  

Below are some examples of "forest to furniture" projects.  


Timberframe Cottage

Timberstand improvement focuses on leaving the best trees in the woods so that they can continue to mature, while removing the less desirable specimens and shorter lived species.  Over time, this leads to richer forest with increased value for both wildlife habitat and lumber quality.  The trees removed can still be put to good use, such as the short lived poplar thinned from a woodlot in Vermont and used for this lovely timber frame in the Adirondacks.  


Oak Table

This sturdy outdoor table came from two tree removal projects.  The table top is from a large red oak, growing too close to a house.  The log was turned into boards onsite with an Alaska chainsaw mill.  The legs are hand split from a smaller oak, felled to allow more light to reach a flower garden.  


14' Kestrel Solo Canoe

Skin-on-frame boat construction is both light weight and strong.  This nimble 14' canoe weighs only 31 pounds, and is easily carried and paddled by a single person.  Skin-on-frame designs are easily customized to meet individual preferences.  This building technique also minimizes the use of old-growth tropical wood, a finite resource used extensively in some boat construction.  Only local woods (including spruce, oak, and locust) went into this canoe.  


Sugar Maple Chess Board

This sugar maple tree died from root competition and disease.  After letting the wood dry for several years, most of the boards where built into a staircase.  A cutoff from one of the 20" wide boards made a classy and solid chess board.


Folding Banquet Tables

These 12' long tables were constructed from diseased butternut trees that had been culled from a nearby property.  They are designed to fold flat and store easily, combining the practicality of a common folding table with the elegance and warmth of a traditional farm table.  


Firewood

Small or low quality logs can be cut and split into firewood.  My Iron Horse logging machine enables me to access and move logs across lawns and sensitive areas without causing damage; a perfect machine for sourcing firewood from small woodlots without creating roads or causing unnecessary damage. 


Ethan Niederer 2020 contact me