Conservation couple

View larger image Fred and Christine Andreae pose along a bench in the backyard of their home in the Overall area near the Page-Warren county line. The couple recently received the Virginia Department of Forestry’s Outstanding Forest Steward award for their commitment to enhancing forest and wildlife resources. Rich Cooley/Daily Recommend This Print This Get E-mail News Alerts Buy Photos/Page Reprints * Breaking News If local news is breaking and you know about it: * Call Us: 800-296-5137 * E-mail Us * Upload Your Photos

State Department of Forestry lauds Fred and Christine Andreae

By Kaitlin Mayhew -- kmayhew@nvdaily.com

BENTONVILLE -- Fred Andreae and his wife, Christine, were awarded an Outstanding Forest Steward award last month for land conservation management on their properties in Page and Warren counties.

The Andreaes have owned their 170 acres that back up to Shenandoah National Park for 40 years. They began investigating ways they could preserve and care for their forests about 30 years ago.

They have worked with forester Joe Lehnen, of the Virginia Department of Forestry, for about 10 years on the maintenance of their properties.

Fred Andreae said that when the couple first met with Lehnen, they created a "forest stewardship management plan" that included their personal goals for their property. For the Andreaes these included maintaining their forest, creating good environments for wildlife, controlling invasive species and preventing erosion.

The Andreaes, along with several neighbors, have also helped create a 1,500-acre wildlife corridor between Shenandoah National Park and the George Washington National Forest. This area provides a haven for wild animals.

"We think it's really neat to have a lot of wildlife on our property," he said.

Andreae said that part of the reason they undertook the project was because of their children.

"When our kids inherit [the properties], we didn't want them to inherit something that would be a burden," he said.

For years, the Andreaes have worked on the quality of their forest to make sure the best and strongest trees have a chance to grow.

"For example, a double tree [or a tree with two trunks] will be less valuable than a single tree with one trunk," Andreae said.

Practices such as these allow for selective logging, that with quality trees can be profitable. Andreae said that he hopes his children will be able to log the property once in a while to pay the taxes on the land.

"[When planning a forest] you're raising a crop," said Andreae. "It's just a very slow crop."
In order to nurture this crop, certain damaging invasive tree species have to be eradicated. One of the most common of these in the area is ailanthus or "tree of heaven."

Getting rid of invasive species "creates a more natural environment, the environment that should be there," Lehnen said.

Another invasive species that Andreae said he runs into often on his property is Japanese stilt grass.

"It's a nuisance, like getting stinkbugs. It's just annoying," he said. "We haven't really done too much about it yet except for pull it up whenever we see it."

The Andreaes have also put into place conservation easements on their properties, which are basically agreements between property owners and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation that limit the development on the property. The agreements are permanent, and apply to all future owners of the land. In return, the property owners receive tax credits. Under one such easement, the Andreaes' 170 acres can only ever be split into two parcels.

"We thought that since we have two kids, that two was good," Andreae said.

The Andreaes have also created trails on their property, so that family and friends can enjoy the wildlife. They enlisted the help of national park employees during the construction to make sure to create trails that would not cause erosion.

They also just completed a planting of hardwood trees along the riverbank that, according to Lehnen, will be extremely beneficial both as a wildlife habitat and erosion block. The trees will be able to hold the soil in place during heavy rain and flooding.

"They've just done a wonderful job over there," Lehnen said. "They are very dedicated conservationists and so good to work with."

Andreae, who is an architect with his own firm in Front Royal, also built some of the bridges on the trails himself.

The Andreaes discovered about 12 years ago that there is a Civil War battlefield on their property.

"We did not know it when we bought the property," Andreae said. "This guy [who visited the property] was a real history buff and he started showing us some of the remnants. It turned out that some places that I thought were just natural ravines were actually Civil War trenches."

Since then the Andreaes have added Milford Battlefield to the National Registry of Historic Places.

"It's pretty exciting. We're proud of being able to do something like this that leaves a legacy that's permanent," Andreae said. "We love the area. It's beautiful."