Of all the areas of a farm that have the potential to generate income for producers, woodlots are often the most overlooked.

While they might be passed over, these areas can be gold mines if managed properly, and the first step to proper management is having a forest stewardship plan developed for the acreage.

A stewardship plan is a written conservation plan for a woodlot to help manage the resources depending on whether the goals are wildlife-based or more to improve the overall timber quality. The plan will list management activities such as grapevine removal or mast tree release to help invigorate existing timber and allow sunlight to jump-start the next generation of timber.

If you already have a stewardship plan in place, and you're looking to harvest in the near future, the hiring of a consultant forester should be a strong consideration before any contracts are signed with timber companies.

A consultant forester is private sector individual who acts as liaison between the landowner and prospective loggers and is paid based on a commission from the timber sale. The consultant will mark trees, establish logging a trail and loading areas, and ensure all work is performed as per the contract and that all proper permits are obtained before logging.

The biggest benefit of the consultant is they know timber production, such as how many board feet are in an area and a reasonable price that should be paid for a harvest.

More often than not, property owners are wowed by the dollar amounts logging companies throw out, but more often than not, these same landowners don't realize the real value of the property and could be only receiving a fraction of the real value. A consultant forester will solicit bids from different companies then be on site during logging to ensure logging boundaries are maintained and only the trees marked for removal are harvested.

Those interested in learning more about a forest stewardship plan or a consultant forester should contact the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry in Clarion at 814-226-1901. The Natural Resources Conservation Service also offers incentive to implement forest stewardship plans. Those interested should contact our office at 724-482-4800, Ext. 108.

Program's record-keeping rates released

In other Farm Bill news, the record-keeping rates for our Conservation Stewardship Program were announced a few weeks ago.

For cropland, the rate works out to be anywhere from $15 to $30 per acre, pasture is $6 to $15 per acre and woodlots are about $6 per acre.

There is a strong emphasis on wildlife habitat in the ranking, but most producers score well in this category. Those who have good habitat and no-till are looking at about $20 or more per acre for cropland. This is a good program to participate in, and there is still time to sign up.

Finally, there is a high tunnel initiative recently announced under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. This pilot program will pay for the construction of one high tunnel per farm up to 2,100 square feet at the cost of $2,000 per structure. Producers interested in learning more or applying for either program can contact our office.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.