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Start
with a forest management plan
Many forest owners "feel" like they know what they are
doing in their woodlots. If you do not have a written management
plan, you may be making a lot of decisions that are helpful in
the short run, but do not help your forest in the long run. Many
forest owners ask a NYS DEC Forester or hire a professional forester
to write a plan for them. It includes baseline information about
the forest, an inventory of the timber growing there, a description
of your goals, and steps on how to reach those goals, while sustaining
the productivity and health of forest.
 Desk
Guide to Forest Stewardship Planning - This US Forest
Service publication is for foresters, but will give you a sense
of the questions you should already have answers for if a logger
comes knocking on your door.
Get assistance from skilled
professionals and volunteer forest owners
In New York, consulting foresters play an important role in good
forest management. For more information about foresters and forest-owning
volunteers, go to the page about Getting
skilled assistance with your forest decisions.
Meet
with DEC Cooperating Consulting or DEC Cooperating Industrial
foresters
A Cooperating Consultant Forester is a professional forester who
has agreed to maintain ethical and educational standards, in compliance
with the Cooperating
Forester Program policy. Industrial foresters tend to
work for a particular business or economic interest. They usually
provide services in exchange for a commitment of harvested timber
or for a fee.
Stumpage
price report
Do you know what kinds of prices are being received for logs delivered
to mills in NY? The DEC Stumpage Report is issued twice each year,
listing the prices being paid for standing timber across New York
State to help buyers and sellers compare prices gives the range
of prices for different species of logs. Get a copy by calling
the DEC Forest Products Utilization and Marketing Program at (518)
402-9425 or request one by asking for a "Stumpage Price Report",
Bureau of Private Land Services, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany,
NY 12233-4253
Use
a topographic map
There are many places to buy topographic maps on-line, but you'll
get better service if you simply call an outdoor outfitting store,
a camping store, or your county Soil and Water Conservation District
office. Support these local offices and businesses. They will
help you select the right map and answer questions about how to
use these wonderful tools. Remember - the topographic map contains
a lot of useful information for your forest activities. You should
have one for every acre of forest you own.
Mark
up aerial photos
Aerial photographs will help you get a bird's eye view of your
forest. With it, you will see features you've not seen before.
Many county Soil and Water Conservation District offices keep
good aerial photographs on hand and will copy one or two for you
for a small fee. It is worth every penny. Get a lot of copies
so you can mark them up with all your forest plans! Satellite
imagery is available on-line, but the low resolution is frustrating
to work with, unless you have a massive forest. Instead, get the
aerial photographs. Online, look at the NYS Geographic Information
Systems Clearinghouse at www.nysgis.state.ny.us.
Inspect
the local soil survey
Soil surveys are priceless for all the information they contain
with regard to forest management. Not only do they have aerial
photography for an entire county, they also indicate different
soil types with easy-to-read symbols. The soil survey designates
wet spots, drainage patterns, steep slopes, and other good information.
For your county soil survey, stop by the local Soil and Water
Conservation District or Cornell Cooperative Extension office.
You can get a copy of the information or purchase the entire survey.
Develop
a written contract for cutting timber
A written contract for a timber sale is the best way to ensure
proper conduct by the logging company and equitable terms for
both parties. It is the document you will use to make sure that
the Best Management Practices detailed on this CD-ROM will be
put into place.
More
about Timber Harvesting Contracts, including a sample contract.
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