Why take the kids to the sawmill when you can take the sawmill to the kids?

On Friday morning, Department of Conservation and Recreation Outreach Service Forester Sean Mahoney brought the state's portable sawmill to Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical School to demonstrate the process of turning a log into lumber.

A selection of trees from Rochester Town Forest and the adjacent forest owned by Old Colony were cut down in January to make way for new growth. At a forum held last November, residents questioned the "forest stewardship plan" created by Phil Benjamin, of Benjamin Forestry Services, Inc.

Benjamin said the plan was scaled back after hearing concerns from townspeople, but the purpose was always to "thoughtfully" cut down some chosen trees to make way for more light in the forest and consequently for new growth.

"This way you guarantee you have all ages growing at the same time," he said.

Benjamin said approximately 15,000 board feet or 100 trees were cut from the town's property and 5,000 board feet from Old Colony. To offer some prospective, Stu Norton, head of the Old Colony carpentry department, said his students use 2,500 to 3,000 board feet a year.

Most of the trees cut in the winter were sold for lumber, with proceeds going to the town and school.

A few of the pines were reserved for Mahoney's demonstration. He showed the students how logs are measured and trimmed.

Developing a better understanding will hopefully teach students the important lesson that "we have to take care of our forest," said Norton.

With students and members of the community looking on and asking questions, Mahoney trimmed down the wood to planks that will be air dried in the carpentry department over the next year.

That time is needed to lower the high percentage of water in a freshly cut tree, explained Mahoney.

Students will eventually use the wood for a project.

Mahoney said the portable band saw, which has been in use for about a year, is a "tool in the tool box" to not only educate the public but to help promote local wood in Massachusetts. All timber harvesters in Massachusetts must be licensed by the state and follow guidelines for sustainability, he said.

The DCR also provides technical assistance for private land owners and a forester will walk a property and offer advice on tree cutting.

As for the Old Colony and town forests, Benjamin said controlled cutting versus clear cutting is definitely the way to go and will ensure healthy forests. He hopes to hold a walk later in the year so residents can see the progress made through the stewardship plan.