It is so good to see groups actually getting out there and buying land as opposed to complaining. Now is certainly the time for these groups, as the price of property has come down recently, which is not likely to hold indefinitely. You might be surprised, but the entire catskill and adirondack montain ranges in New York are protected under state law (with the exception of a few small towns within them). These massive areas were preserved by the state while the erie canal was being built. The erie canal engineers told the state that if the mountain ranges were not protected, and were allowed to be clear cut the erosion would be so great the erie canal be fill in after only a couple years and the Hudson river would eventaully dry up. The state solved the problem by making a park out of all the mountains. It is amazing that in the early 1800s we knew more about the importance of forest cover than we do today. "The Adirondack Park is a publicly-protected area located in northeast New York. It is the largest park in the contiguous United States, the largest National Historic Landmark, and the largest area protected by any U.S. state. The park covers some 6.1 million acres (24,700 km²), a land area about the size of Vermont, or of the Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined." "The thinking that was to lead to the creation of the park first appeared in George Perkins Marsh's Man and Nature, published in 1864.[4] Marsh argued that deforestation could lead to desertification: referring to the clearing of once lush lands surrounding the Mediterranean, he asserted "the operation of causes set in action by man has brought the face of the earth to a desolation almost as complete as that of the moon."" -that is 1864 people. "On September 18, 2008, The Nature Conservancy purchased an additional 14,600 acres (59 km2) of land adjacent to the park for $16 million dollars." oh and there is another park... "The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United States. It consists of 700,000 acres (2,800 km²) of land inside a Blue Line in four counties: Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster." "The park is governed by Article 14 of the state constitution, which stipulates that all land acquired within cannot be sold or otherwise transferred (absent amending the constitution, which has been done on several occasions), may not be used for logging and must remain "forever wild."" Most people have no idea that New York state is mostly forest, and half the population of the whole state lives within a 30 mile radius. When people think of wilderness and protected lands etc they usually think of California, but in reality New York sets the standard for the world in forest preservation. If only the rainforest could be seen for its value and protected in a similar means. -Werner J Stiegler

RE: The US Forestry Service spends far too much money and too many firefighters die each season trying to protect property that can be rebuilt. If a homeowner decides to build in a forest then they should be responsible for protecting their homes. Create a fire protection zone, buy fire insurance or take your chances. Ah, a voice of reason. I think that is a great point. And a corollary I've been frustrated with is the subsidized rescue / reconstruction of New Orleans. A city that everyone knew was bound to flood (as it's on the coast and below sea level in hurricane alley) Why should the average joe taxpayer foot the bill for someone else's risky choice and rebuild a city that should be a wetland and inevitably will be again? I mean we're all in agreement that sea levels are going to be rising over the next few decades right? The point being, you can't complain about a problem (fires, floods, whatever) when you know damn well its going to happen when you go there. It's like renting an apartment above a bar and then complaining about the noise late at night. I don't mean to trivialize the loss of property and life in either scenario. But maybe let's stop throwing money and the lives of 20 year old kids at the problem and think about it. And maybe do the same with respect to our foreign policy..... sorry i digress

Many Japanese maples are hardy to Zone 6.

Thanks Slush! The doors are my favorite too. Aside from the Italian faux finished walls, the doors are the first thing everyone comments on when they walk in the room. The first time we saw them we were blown away! They are solid wood, furniture grade from old-world-doors.com. Made just over the border in Mexico for a US company. Their rep came out to measure and they come prehung with the jam and trim. Thank you everyone. I'm so happy you enjoyed the view. :)