NY: Timber harvesting: Dont cut the best and leave the rest

It is not at all unusual for forest landowners to be approached by loggers looking to harvest timber on their land.

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Timber harvesting: Dont cut the best and leave the rest
By Richard Gast
Posted on: Saturday, July 21, 2007

It is not at all unusual for forest landowners to be approached by loggers looking to harvest timber on their land. Nor is it unusual for landowners to agree to have their timber cut based solely on the promise of an immediate and lucrative cash return. Unfortunately, short term economic considerations coupled with a lack of knowledge of forestry and silviculture practices all too often gives rise to timber harvests that result in long term negative environmental impacts and that degrade the future timber value of forest lands.

Some of the private forest owners that I talk with have inherited land that has been in their family for generations. Others have more recently purchased their property for recreation or investment. Almost all enjoy, among other things, walking their land, hunting, taking pictures of wildlife and wildflowers, picking berries, sitting beside a campfire and cutting firewood. And almost all are interested in harvesting and marketing their timber. Many, however, do not fully understand the concept of sustainable forestry and its basic elements.

Unfortunately, much of the private forest in our region has been relentlessly mismanaged for generations due to high grading and other poor forestry practices. High grading is the practice of cutting the best and most valuable timber and leaving the rest; often focusing on removal of the most valuable species and thereby reducing diversity within the stand. Whats more, sizeable quantities of timber are cut prior to becoming grade one sawtimber, a practice often referred to as diameter limit cutting or selective cutting.

The long term environmental and financial impacts of high-grading can be substantial. What is cut and what is left behind is motivated only by immediate capital gain. The quality and productive capacity of future forests is not a consideration so, what is left is an overabundance of small trees that are old and that long ago stopped growing at an appropriate rate. They are often poorly formed, diseased, and of less desirable or even undesirable species; trees that offer little present and questionable future value.

Those trees produce the seeds that form the next generation of trees in the forest. And as anyone who has ever planted a crop will tell you, poor genetics will breed more poor genetics. Because of this, some foresters consider high grading to be a sort of unnatural disaster from which the forest may never fully recover.

High grading in North America can be traced back to colonial New England, when the colonists selectively harvested only the largest and best white pines and oaks for ship building and construction.

That practice continued until the middle of the nineteenth century when, with the development and expansion of the pulp and paper, boxboard, smelting and charcoal industries, clearcutting became the preferred practice. Widespread clearcutting continued unabated across the Northeast well into the twentieth century when, in response to public outcries about aesthetically distasteful landscapes, soil erosion, and poor water quality, diameter limit cutting became the timber harvesting method of choice. Although that practice did reduce soil loss and water pollution, the long term negative effects remained less obvious.

We know, today, that superior forest management requires time. Landowners practicing forest stewardship recognize that the potential for ongoing financial returns (not to mention the positive environmental impacts) that can be realized as a result of managing woodland for sustainable sawtimber production, wildlife and recreation will more than make up for the immediate high dollar return that may be seen by high grading their forestland today. Responsible forest stewards think about their woodlots as they would any other long term investment, keeping in mind that removing the lowest quality merchantable timber now, along with high value mature trees, will improve the overall quality of their forest, and as the quality improves, so will the rate of return.

Once informed, almost all woodland owners choose to harvest and market their timber sustainably. And many place equal, if not greater importance on managing their forest land for wildlife and recreation, as well.

There are other options available to forest landowners to help offset the cost of taxes and insurance in the interim; opportunities that landowners can utilize to produce income without compromising the quality of their timber stands or jeopardizing habitat, watershed, the aesthetic beauty, the recreational opportunities or the spiritual renewal that their forest property offers. These include fee hunting and fishing, trail riding and horse boarding, camping, cabin rentals, bed and breakfasts, firewood sales and agroforestry (maple syrup, Christmas trees, specialty mushrooms, ginseng, custom sawmilling).

Good timber is valuable. Dont waste it by rushing into a harvest. Understand your options and their likely outcomes. Work with a licensed professional forester and move forward only after you have enough information to make the decision that best serves you and your family.

Just because a logger offers to cut your timber doesnt mean its in your best interest to do so. The value of trees increases greatly as they grow larger. In the long run, youll have a healthier forest and realize a better dollar return if you dont high-grade.

One of the best ways to learn more about selling timber, private forest management planning and options, and/or sustainable forestry is to become a member of the New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA). Through local chapters and statewide activities, NYFOA promotes sustainable forestry practices and improved stewardship on privately owned woodlands.

Additional Information

Web Site: http://www.nyfoa.org

Email: Click here to contact via email.

Category: Forestry>Landowners/Family Forestry

Region: New York

Ad Running: 8/26/2008-9/25/2010

Ad Posted: 7/21/2007 5:07:18 PM

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