 Timberland Management
Management Planning Services
One of the most important steps in managing your timberland is the formulation of a management plan that is tailored to your situation. Of course many landowners operate “by the seat of their pants”; this too is a management plan. A more complete and effective plan involves a comprehensive inventory of the timber resource and site location. After considering many factors including landowner objectives, sawtimber, pulpwood, regeneration, undesirable species, pest, site conditions, etc, management recommendations are made on a per stand basis.
Landowners own their property for many reasons; they live there, hunt, fish, hike, bike, horseback ride there, and they sometimes benefit from income from their forest products. This being said, a forest management plan needs to reflect the goals and objectives of the landowner for how they intend to use the property. The basis of the plan begins with an inventory of the property components.
Generally, the forest is inventoried and divided into stands. A stand is an area which is described by the dominant tree species (Northern hardwood stand, Oak stand, Hemlock, etc.) with those dominant species being similar in age and size characteristics. The inventory process will yield information as to how crowded stand conditions are for the dominant trees. In an understocked stand, no treatments are generally needed; in a well stocked stand trees are growing at their optimum; in an over-stocked stand thinning is required to bring the stand back into optimum growing conditions. Management prescriptions are devised for each stand and scheduled in a 10 year work schedule. Income and expense items are weighted in the schedule so that a landowner is not overburdened in any one year.
The prescriptions for the timber management may include timber harvests, timber stand improvement thinnings (which are generally an expense to improve growing conditions), grapevine removal, treatments to understory vegetation (fern, grass, striped maple) that inhibit reproduction of desirable tree species, and much more. All treatments are prescribed to help the forest grow at its maximum potential while also helping the landowner achieve his or her goals. Changes in the forest structure also may help with some wildlife habitat improvements, improve accessibility to the forest for recreation, and improve the general health of the forest.
Management plans also are geared toward wildlife enhancement opportunities such as tree and shrub plantings to attract various species to a property, food and cover plots for deer and turkey, the creation of nesting habitat for various avian species, the creation of snag and den trees in the forest, etc. Where open fields exist adjacent to forest cover, connecting corridors and cover plots are designed to retain wildlife or to make their visits more frequent. Our wildlife biologists can help you achieve your wildlife habitat enhancement goals.
Recreational trails are also part of the planning process. For hiking, horseback riding, x-country skiing, ATV riding, mountain biking, trails can be designed that take in the natural features of a property and oftentimes get them built through the course of a timber harvest. We have developed several public use trail systems throughout Chautauqua County and countless miles of trail on private lands for weekend recreational use.
Management plans also can be drawn to include water-based planning. From pond design, development and maintenance to large-scale Watershed management for municipalities we can tailor a plan to suit your needs. We currently manage the forests of several municipal watersheds along the Lake Erie shoreline to produce water and control erosion and sedimentation of the water supply in accordance with management plans for those properties. Developing your own private pond can be its own reward to you and to wildlife. We can assist with the design, installation, maintenance and stocking issues for a new pond, or advise on how to reclaim an old pond.
Aesthetics are also an important part of any management plan. Managing for the natural beauty along a trail or waterway is important when considering any forest management activities. Scenic vistas can be created through management where dense forest obstructs an otherwise breathtaking view. Trail systems can be designed to take in all the natural features that a property possesses. We currently manage County Park and Forest areas for such purposes. We also have plans developed for numerous Boy Scout and Girl Scout Councils in New York and Pennsylvania as well as private camp facilities in Ohio. Planning for these entities focuses on management for all that has been described in this article.
Don’t wait to start developing your management plan. Those that have developed plans for their properties and have implemented them find the most satisfaction from their investment in their property. The rewards are numerous. Get started today.
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