CHUCK LEAVELL MADE HIS NAME enjoying the piano, first within the Nineteen Seventies for the Allman Brothers Band and Sea Stage, and, for the final 4 a long time, with the Rolling Stones. Alongside the best way, the legendary keyboardist has developed a significant new connection to this picket instrument by devoting his life to tree farming and sustainable forestry.
“It’s all my spouse’s fault,” says Leavell, referring to his accomplice of 51 years, Rose Lane. In 1981, Rose Lane’s grandmother died, leaving her and Leavell 1,200 acres of ancestral Twiggs County farmland, simply exterior of Macon. There have been cows, cotton, soybeans, corn, and huge quantities of timber. “I finished to consider a tree,” he says. “The wooden from this factor has given me a lot in my life. Caring for it appeared like a means of celebrating and
giving again to the useful resource.” Leavell checked out books on land use from the library, picked up brochures from the Pure Assets Conservation Service, and even took a correspondence course on forestry whereas on tour. He and Rose Lane constructed the land into 4,000 acres of timber farm known as Charlane Woodlands and Protect. They grew to become outspoken advocates for woodland conservation, and their stewardship of Charlane has introduced recognition from many conservation teams, together with the title of honorary forest ranger Leavell earned from the U.S. Forest Service. He has additionally revealed quite a few books on forestry, been featured in a documentary, Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man, and at the moment hosts the PBS tv present America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell.
Ever the artist, Leavell is passionate in regards to the aesthetic of the woods and the peace and inspiration that comes from a woodland stroll. However he’s equally ardent in regards to the sensible aspect of sustainable tree farming. “We need to put aside lands that aren’t used for manufacturing, however I stay in a picket home,” he says, acknowledging that wooden is required for “our houses and colleges, paper for our books and magazines, and cardboard for our Amazon bins.” And what do his rock star colleagues consider this offstage obsession? “Initially, there was a whole lot of head-scratching, like ‘What the hell is Chuck speaking about?,’” says Leavell, including that over time, the folks he works with have developed an appreciation for this sort of conservation effort.
This text seems within the Fall 2024 difficulty of GaBiz
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