Benefits of Woodlot Management

Your Woodlot should be managed for many different reasons. First and foremost it is good for it’s long-term health. A timber stand is similar to a garden in many ways. If plants are not provided sufficient space for light, water and nutrients they suffer from over crowding and do poorly.

Proper harvesting and thinning has a similar effect to weeding a garden. Removing the weaker and ill-formed trees is very beneficial to the residual stand bolstering both it’s health and commercial value. Left to natural progression a timber stand will mature and develop a closed canopy which will eventually kill the younger stock from lack of light. The stand will in time be left with older trees of a similar age class and health making it more vulnerable as whole to a single environmental event of disease or storm damage. Old trees of declining health are also past their peak commercial value.

A knowledgeable forest manager will be able to identify negative impacts affecting timber such as disease, signs of rot, significant damage and structural defects. The manager will also be aware of ideal spacing or density appropriate to age class for optimum growth. They will be trained in marking trees for timely removal. This will ensure that successive generations of stock are able to grow at a healthy rate and that they are in general suitable for market. This is all a delicate balance influenced by the carrying capacity of the soil nutrients and granular quality to maintain solid rooting. The water table, and climate zone also play a role as to the probability of certain trees to reach maturity in health and at an effective rate for commercial purposes. Precipitation trends and even the commercial market will also influence the appropriate time between harvest cycles.

Forest managers are also experienced in designing transportation infrastructure in the form of truck roads, landings and haul trails to be efficient, aesthetically pleasing and to have a minimal impact on the environment including wetlands, wildlife feeding and denning areas. Mast or seed producing trees are particularly important to many different types of wildlife and a good manager will consider how to maintain them in the stand effectively for their maximum benefit. This will include shelter trees with rot and hollows important to different species. Steep slopes, opening edges and wetland boundaries are ideal areas to maintain a heavier presence of these types of less marketable trees. Browse areas near thermal cover and water are essential for the winter survival of deer.

In summation, proper forest management can improve and balance the health of your woodlot over successive harvest cycles indefinitely for generations to come, making it not only financially and recreationally viable to the land owner but also beneficial to the continued support of wildlife habitat.

With the insight from a 40 year family tradition in woodlot management passed down to him, Chad Stevens took the initiative to self-study provincial, North American and European standards of forest management and harvesting. After 23 years of hands on daily experience involved in his passion, he is still learning and evolving. As the seasons go by he continues to observe not only the importance of proper planning and low-impact harvesting methods, but also how essential features of wildlife habitat that must be maintained.

He feels that dedication to his system of management and advanced understanding of canopy coverage to control lateral light promoting high value timber set him apart.

With his motto of “don’t get bored, get better” in mind he continues to offer a progressive approach to learning and improved service.