Forest management services include any task that attempts to meet a landowner’s needs and goals associated with their land. These goals can relate to any aspect of the land and its uses, including
Generally, forest management services are focused on preventing and handling issues that threaten those goals. It can look like changing the structure and composition of the forest to make way for regeneration after years of logging. It can look like addressing natural disturbances as they come, such as pests, downed trees from severe winds, lightning, etc.,
The objective of forest management can be peeled back to conversion, utilization, or some combination of both. The most common tactics wrapped up in this service include planting/replanting new species, building and maintaining roads and paths, or good old timber extraction.
There are a lot of reasons landowners might consider forest management services, such as
Recently, burning (prescribed burning) has become a common strategy in forest management as it helps reduce the competition for resources and the vulnerability of the forest to disease, infestation, wildfires, and droughts. Other ways people manage forests include managing vegetation, restoring certain ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining the forest’s health.
Some contractors arrive, tell you how it will be, and give you the option of yes or no. It’s becoming increasingly common for contractors to flake, not show up, or gauge the price at every possible turn. We don’t work that way.
Forest management is what we’ll do for you, but it’s still your forest. And we understand that no two management strategies will look the same. This service will drastically vary in intensity depending on your goals, preferences, and the conditions of your land. It can mean leaving the forest (mostly) alone to do its thing, and it could mean using highly involved silvicultural practices.
If you are looking to meet increased economic or ecological criteria, we will help you get there.
Forest management services have become increasingly common worldwide—and for good reason. Not only can they provide great economic benefits for landowners, but they can also dramatically improve wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystems.
Some of the most common benefits of forest management include
Similar to farmers, it’s not uncommon for landowners to sell off chunks of land that aren’t economic. With active forest management, fewer landowners will have to take that route.
Most forests fit into one of two categories: planted or natural. Planted forests, also called plantations, are deliberately placed and started by people. They usually consist of similar-aged trees and one crop, also called a monocrop. On the other hand, natural forests tend to have trees of varying ages and more diversity in species.
Forest management for natural forests tends to focus on supporting the existing species and is less intense. Planted forests are more aggressively managed to support the lack of diversity—something that can make them much more vulnerable than natural forests.
Our focus with forest management services and forest stewardship is ensuring that your forest can meet the needs of all the people, animals, and plants that rely on it.
We need more forest management. It’s something that does good for everyone directly and indirectly involved.
But it’s best to plan for earlier rather than later. If you are looking into forest management services to help prevent wildfires, we recommend that you make the leap well before fire season begins. And keep in mind that these services, especially less-intensive types, take time to settle and do their job.
Some forest management plans span decades, so while there may not be a rush on the job (depending on your goals), it’s always better to start sooner rather than later.
There are three stages of forest management services, such as
Each one is explained below.
Forest management can be labeled as any act that helps landowners and other stakeholders meet their goals. They can be sustainability, ecological, or economic goals. And it can be done through improving the forest's security, improving the ecosystem's health, and supporting the production of any related goods.
It is absolutely vital in commercial forestry. Not only because forests help clean air, maintain water quality, and house most wildlife but also because they can easily be abused and made ineffective.
So, before you embark on your new path, we recommend that you sit down and make informed decisions about what you want. That way, you can communicate that information and other details to any participants in this process—you’d be surprised at how useful that is alone. You can also collect any necessary legal, administrative, or legislative data.
As far as content, forest management plans can either be extensive and detailed or general. Landowners organize tasks and priorities in detailed plans that will help solve current problems. While general forest management plans usually consist of documentation of long-term decisions that help clarify the desired direction.
The most common ways people perform forest management include
Commercial forest management is similar to but not synonymous with active forest management. It basically means you are always doing something to support your forest, even if the actions are minimal. Active forest management is a great approach to help unhealthy forests lacking diversity.
It can look like extending your harvest rotations to allow for larger trees, increasing the amount of younger trees to fill the gaps, and adding structural complexity enhancements (copying the effect of natural disturbances, which creates unique spacing and arrangement).
In other words, active forest management involves taking more incremental steps to create diversity.
Forest management is human intervention in a forested landscape to support the landowner's goals, generally classified as economic, legal, social, or administrative.
Forest management services are those that take the planning, execution, and maintenance of a forest off the landowner’s hands. They can include everything from developing forest management plans to getting their hands dirty and making that plan a reality.
They are very similar, but the goals of forest property management differ slightly. For example, forest management can be done for any reason, whether that be to improve timber output, support wildlife populations, or improve recreational viability. When you zoom in on the “property management” part, you’ll notice that those efforts are often geared toward property value and aesthetics.
Some of the tasks filed with forest management services include timber thinning, timber harvesting, reforestation, replanting efforts, and addressing any issues that come up in between.
Ultimately, your provider is going to be focused on meeting your goals the most effectively and within your budget. These services are great, too, because forest management is great. Not only does forest management improve wildlife quality, but it also supports water quality and sustainability of wood products.
When the growth layers are too crowded, it basically ensures every plant is touching another, giving the fire incredibly easy access to spread. By occasionally participating in prescribed burning, you create a bit more space between the layers of growth. It minimizes that access drastically, as well as limiting a wildfire's access to available fuel.