Whether it’s a thinning or a regeneration harvest, a consulting forester can provide many services to assist the landowner with what will likely be a multi-year process.
Based on your objectives and current timber conditions, a consulting forester can develop a prescription (specifications for a harvest) that will meet your objectives, be they economic, wildlife, aesthetic, etc.
A consulting forester can assist you with locating and marking boundary lines, classifying streams, and marking any buffers that may be desired or required.
A consulting forester can market your timber sale to reputable buyers as a lump sum or per-unit sale. Regardless of the type of sale, creating competition by marketing the timber to multiple buyers will result in a higher sale price.
Once the sale price and terms
have been negotiated, a contract will need to be drafted, and regular harvest inspections should be conducted to ensure all contract terms are understood and adhered to. For example, failure to follow Best Management Practices (BMPs) related to water quality can result is fines being levied against the landowner. At the conclusion of a harvest, it is important to ensure all required closeout work (road repair, debris piling, trash removal, etc.) is completed. These are all services that a consulting forester can provide to a
landowner.
Depending on the type of harvest, and
desired future conditions, reforestation activities may be needed following either a thinning or regeneration harvest. Site-preparation and planting are often needed after a regeneration harvest. After a thinning in an uneven-aged hardwood stand it is important to monitor the health, growth and species composition of new understory growth. Once again, these are all services that a professional consulting forester can provide to you.
Mature Oak/Mixed Hardwood stands are ubiquitous across western Virginia and can be highly desirable to landowners for a variety of reasons. These stands also face threats from insects and diseases and...