History
Frank got started in 1972 with a chainsaw, screwdriver
and a crescent wrench.
He started by converting inland Blue
Oak and live Oak forest into grass range-lands. After a
number of years of observation, the conscience began to
dictate that he was destroying a non-renewable type of
forest land. This is due to their extreme slow growth, and
also to a large California deer and cattle population that
will eat every Blue Oak and White Oak and Live Oak seedling
to be found, with the exception of highway corridors which
is host to the main deer predator- the automobile.
After 7 years in business in 1979, Frank was found by his future wife and business partner, Jolene. Being attracted to what she wrongly thought was a lucrative business, and seeing the potential to play with REAL Tonka trucks and Toys, they were married in 1980.
They moved to Boonville in 1984, finding a real purpose in their business - removing Tan Oak - a fast growing renewable “weed tree” of the forest. This serves 2 purposes; a source of renewable energy, and regenerating the forest back to the redwood stands that used to be in the area. There are now approximately 45,000 conifers replanted every year by Mendocino Redwood Co. in the areas where the hardwoods are removed by and for Frank’s Firewood.