Photo: Doug, Colleen, Brian, and Mark Goodridge of Goodridge Lumber
In 1974, what started as a passion project to mill wood for a family log cabin in Albany, Vermont, evolved into Goodridge Lumber, a family-owned sawmill that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The business now employs seven people and annually processes over one million board feet of wood sourced within a 75-mile radius.
For the Goodridge family, operating a sawmill means more than producing lumber. It’s about sustaining a network of local landowners, loggers, truckers, and foresters who rely on the mill as a vital link in Vermont’s forest economy.
“Every part of the local supply chain benefits when a mill like ours stays operational,” Colleen Goodridge, who owns the mill with her three sons Brian, Mark, and Doug, explained. “If a logger can truck a load 75 miles instead of five hours away, that makes a big difference. It means more money in the pockets of landowners, loggers, and truckers—and that’s what we need for this wood products industry to remain viable and grow.”
Their specialization in white cedar has also insulated the mill from the volatility of global commodity markets. “Because we deal in a specialty product here in New England, we can set our pricing to some extent,” Colleen said.
However, Goodridge Lumber is not immune to the challenges facing Vermont’s forestry sector. The state has lost 84% of its sawmills since 1983, with only 39 remaining, according to the Vermont Forest Resource 2022 Harvest Report.
Warm winters and wet summers have reduced the logging season for species like white cedar, which requires frozen ground for harvesting. Sawlog and veneer log harvests have dropped 50 percent in the past decade. This poses a significant threat to the state’s forest economy, which contributes $1.4 billion annually and supports 9,000 jobs.
To address environmental and operational challenges, the Goodridge family recently transitioned their mill from diesel-powered generators to a three-phase electric system. The identification of this project came about with help from The Northern Forest Center. In 2024, Goodridge Lumber was one of 20 forestry businesses in Vermont to take part in a WLEI-funded Technical Assistance program. Colleen says the business support they received helped them strengthen their business plan.
The switch to electric will save an estimated 13,000 gallons of diesel annually, cutting costs, reducing emissions, and saving time. Colleen says that without the grant, they faced time-consuming patchwork repairs on their old generators because the smallest replacement generator they could find that met emissions requirements was three times the size they needed.
“Without generator duties, we’re looking at saving 100 hours per year, and we can repurpose this time for production activities; we’ll be sawing instead of working on the generator. With the time savings, the goal is to increase production,” Colleen said.
The upgrade also opens doors for the business to expand. With electric power running to the site, the mill can diversify its product line to include red and white pine and the required kiln for drying the lumber, which they don’t have now because white cedar is air-dried.
“It’s not only going to start helping today. But it’s going to give us more options as we go forward.” Colleen said.
Looking ahead, Colleen says supporting Vermont’s forest economy is critical. “We’re lucky to live in a state that’s 76% forested, with more trees growing than being harvested,” Colleen said. “It’s our job to keep this industry viable—not just for lumber, but for clean air, water, wildlife habitat, and recreation.”
This story was published in the Fiscal Year 2024 WLEI Impact Report.