Steve McMinn's investment in the future, A figured Maple farm.
This remarkable man, the owner and founder of Pacific Rim Tonewood believes that the rare and beautiful figure that occurs in less than ten percent of Big Leaf Maple trees is genetic. On this large property in the Skagit Valley he has taken cuttings from the stumps of maple trees that had outstanding figure, fiddleback or quilt, and propagates them on his new land. It will be twenty years before success or failure will be evident, and perhaps 30 years before a cash crop can be harvested. Now that is faith in your ideas and in the future.
Rick and I visited the farm today, This is where the cuttings are first planted, the Greenhouse
It is hoped that these cuttings will grow in thirty years into magnificent Big Leaf Maple trees filled with beautiful fiddleback grain or quilt pattern as their very valuable parents were. Will these be the tonewoods for the guitars and ukuleles of the 2050 s and beyond.
Beside the greenhouse is the equipment building with office on the 2nd floor. The manager's home can just be seen in the background,
Manuel Hernandez is the nan in charge of this vision and by the looks of things the thousands of Maple trees on the farm are in capable hands. Here he shows us a cutting two years in the pot.
We of course visited Pacific Rim Tonewood a little further up the road to pick up some of their marvelous wood for future ukuleles. I will post a few pieces of the treasures we came home with on a future blog.
What a great morning we had.
What a great morning we had.
