I had our local DCNR service forester out to the homestead recently. We had a great walk out in our woods. In the short term, he's going to come back out and help me mark trees for thinning (a.k.a. firewood!). In the long term, we'll put together a formal stewardship plan. I'll have plenty of work for the next couple of years getting my forest back on the tract to health and productivity. As a biproduct, I should be well on my way to getting a 3+ yr firewood stash going.
We went from 10 to 16 acres last Fall. That pushed us over the hump to decide that we could use some professional help to make some long term plans.
Good idea to start the thinning process. As we know all too well out West, if you don't thin it, Mother Nature will.
We thought about getting someone out but that was about the time the EAB hit. After we get those cut up, we may do something and that would help on the taxes too because it will show we do have a plan and the assessor likes that.
Nada! That's what my taxes pay for. May as well make use of him. However, when/if I move toward making a formal management plan, he and I will have to work with a local Consulting Forester and that will cost me some money. There is a little federal subsidy to help with this part, but, with budget cuts in Washington, that money is dwindling or completely gone now.
OH YEAH! My Chestnut Oaks are in pretty bad shape right now. Probably damaged/killed by gypsy moths. I've got dozens of ~100 y.o oaks that are standing dead right now. Most of those will eventually make it into my stove, but some will remain to support our local "cavity nesters." We have a very healthy population of owls especially (Great Horned and Screech). I want to keep them happy, because they kill the mice that carry the Lyme disease and Anaplasma that are rampant around here. For that matter, anything that kills mice is welcome around here: Owls, hawks, cats, foxes, etc...
