Luther Forest

One of the most beautiful and historic sections of the Town of Malta is the Luther Forest. It stands as a living monument to Thomas C. Luther (known as “Tommy C.”), born in Ballston Spa, who started a managed forestry program on 110 acres in eastern Malta in 1898.  As founder and developer, he created one of the largest private pine forest plantations in the Northeast.  The Luther Forest grew to 4500 acres and then to around 7000 acres at one of its highest points in the 1970’s.  Following Tommy C.’s death in 1937, son “Tommy F.” took over and erected a bronze tablet in the forest to honor his father.  Son-in-law Bill Mackay took over in the 1960’s.  Tommy C.’s great-grandson, Alec Mackay, now manages the Luther Forest.  The preserve has been home to a large residential development and to many energy and technology companies, including the Hermes Project Rocket Test site (c. 1945), and the Wright-Malta Corporation.  The Saratoga Technology and Energy Park now oversees a new and growing generation of tech firms on the site. In May 2004, the Malta Town Board approved the Luther Forest as a development site for nanotech companies.