Long-term forest management generally involves the development of a comprehensive management plan. After an initial consultation with a landowner, we conduct a thorough assessment of the property and document conditions such as tree species composition, age class, terrain features, and indicators of the property’s management history.
We present our findings to the landowner, and discuss the landowner’s management goals, which in addition to long-term sustainable timber production, may include a combination of priorities such as wildlife habitat value, recreational use, or aesthetic value. Based on the landowner’s particular objectives, we create a management plan document which contains a description of current forest conditions and management history, a forest stand map, and recommendations for immediate and future management activities.
A forest stand map will include aerial imagery of the property overlaid with outlines of forest stands - areas identified as sharing a similar composition of tree species and age class. Silvicultural recommendations will be specified for each stand, along with any management concerns such as presence of invasive species. This process may include property classification for the purposes of Maine’s Tree Growth Tax law.
Timber appraisal is another one of our widely used services. A forest inventory can determine timber value in situations such as; purchase or sale of a property, establishment of depletion accounts to offset future timber income taxes, or timber trespass incidents.
Other consulting services include timber investment counseling, and expert opinions regarding timber trespass.