Plan for forest stewardship is first step to take

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

While they may 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 your woodlot to help manage the resources depending on whether your 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 a private-sector individual who acts as a liaison between the landowner and perspective loggers and is paid based on a commission from the timber sale.

The consultant will mark trees, establish logging 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; 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 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 and 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 Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry in Butler at 724-865-2131.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service also offers incentives to implement forest stewardship plans and those interested should contact our office at 724-482-4800, Ext. 108.

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