Mary Clashman Q&A | The Nature Conservancy

Get Involved:

Mary Clashman, Landowner

Jefferson County, Indiana

Find out how she is making a living from healthy forests!

Landowner Mary Clashman with Allen Pursell, Southern Indiana Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. © TNC

Paul Bunyan the lumberjack made a living out of harvesting trees. But healthy forests provide a living for many, many other people, like Indiana resident Mary Clashman.

nature.org:

What do you do?

Mary Clashman:

I am now a retired accountant.

nature.org:

How does a healthy forest help you earn a living?

Mary Clashman:

It supplemented my income for more than 50 years by selling mature trees primarily to timber brokers. I sold mostly white oak, red oak, and black walnut.

nature.org:

What do you hope for the future of your forest?

Mary Clashman:

I have given one forest to The Nature Conservancy for a nature preserve and the other will go to The Nature Conservancy at my death. My forest will NEVER be demolished to become a development. I have done the most I know how to do to keep the flora and fauna of my forests safe forever. I have probably sold more than 1 million board feet to timber over the years and NEVER one tree before its time.

More: Learn more about Mary Clashman and the land she donated to the Conservancy's Indiana program.