Timber Management

[ldog72]

I have Twenty Acres that is surrounded by non hunted land. The land lays mostly on a slope and has a shelf for most of it and then it drops down to the lower part which a creek runs through it and on the other side is the non hunted land and it goes up to a ridge then flatens out.

I know i need to get this place timbered and I plan on doing it but I have heard the Timber business is kinda shady if you do not know who to deal with. So I am hoping to get some contacts for a harvester that pays decent and does not trash the land. I have some Oaks, Black Walnut and Poplar.

I want the harvester to replant Poplar cause i heard this will be in high demand in the future and I need a retirement fund lol. I would like to plant the whole bottom of my land in a food plot but it stay pretty wet down there so i need something that can stand moisture. I will be building a makeshift bedding area built up with some trees .

Any other suggestions would be greatly Appreciated.

I did get a Forester from Athens County call me today and left a message so i am going to try to get him and come out and help out i guess.

Happing hunting!

[whitetailfreak]

you have to be careful who you pick and what kind of contract you have with them .
speaking of contracts make sure you have one ,you can draw it up or they can but make sure you have what you need it to .things like not damming your creek if they have to cross it ,bridge would have to span it .or things like limiting numer of log trails they make .brush piles if they or do they leave the brush lay .saw dust piles .slab piles and cut off piles .
all this stuff matters if you are managing the land .
i have done cutting on my property and it took me along time to clean up the mess .they dammed my creek ,which i used to be able to drive a truck through,the put in colvert pipes and mad the wet lands a full blown swamp.ruined the truck trails i had on the property .now its hard to get to i have to use the nieghbors property to bring in my tractor ,lucky hes nice .brush was left every where we had to clean that up .they left my property a mess .
if you do have some one come to cut ,tell them how you want it to go not let them tell you .if they are reputibale they will agree to it if not say thanks i will let yo know and move on .dont forget you have alot of work ahead of you dont let the cutters make more for you .they will already have the machinery there to put the junk where you want it (brush ,dust piles , slab piles )and fix your rutted up trails for you .good luck hope this helped

[M.Magis]

Great advice there. I've seen some farms almost destroyed because of the mess created and left by loggers. We had ours done about 8 years ago and whoever did it did a fantastic job. A year later and you couldn't even tell they had been there, and they only took the very largest oaks and cherry trees. I still have many oaks that I can't wrap my arms around. I would highly recommend them, but I don't know who they were. My grandfather hired them, but unfortunately I can't ask him. I would ask for references and make some calls. Make sure everything is worked out and agreed upon before you let them on your land.

[Monroe]

If you are not in the timber business - you have no business negotiating a timber harvest. The first and foremost thing you should do is hire a forester to negotiate the contract and put your timber out for bid. You will pay a fee for the services - but you stand to gain a lot more financially and environmentally.

Don't get me wrong - most sawmills have foresters on staff - but you are only dealing with one entity. It is the job of a consultant to appraise your timber and then put it out for bid with stipulations written into a contract - then multiple companies bid on your timber knowing all along what you want or don't want done when it comes to harvesting.

Lots of information on the web about harvesting timber - you might start first with the OHDNR forestry - they would probably get you pointed in the right direction.

Monroe

[whitetailfreak]

was trying to show you pictures of my property but cannot post picture here with out giving up person info to do so . so if you want to jump over to buckeye cam .com and join thier forums i can show you pictures of my property ,some things that came out nice other stuff we could have done with out .

[mrex]

If you are not in the timber business - you have no business negotiating a timber harvest. The first and foremost thing you should do is hire a forester to negotiate the contract and put your timber out for bid. You will pay a fee for the services - but you stand to gain a lot more financially and environmentally.

Don't get me wrong - most sawmills have foresters on staff - but you are only dealing with one entity. It is the job of a consultant to appraise your timber and then put it out for bid with stipulations written into a contract - then multiple companies bid on your timber knowing all along what you want or don't want done when it comes to harvesting.

Lots of information on the web about harvesting timber - you might start first with the OHDNR forestry - they would probably get you pointed in the right direction.

Monroe
This is excellent advice. ^^^^

I HIGHLY recommend Frank Dimarco with Ohio Timber Consulting. He has done work for me several times and I have been very pleased with his work.

Frank is an avid hunter / conservationist, and approaches his work from that perspective, while maximizing $ for the property owner.

You can PM me for his contact info.

[FFKEVIN]

mrex - can't send you a pm :irked: it says you have too many!

This is excellent advice. ^^^^

I HIGHLY recommend Frank Dimarco with Ohio Timber Consulting. He has done work for me several times and I have been very pleased with his work.

Frank is an avid hunter / conservationist, and approaches his work from that perspective, while maximizing $ for the property owner.

You can PM me for his contact info.

I was wondering if I could get Frank's number. We are looking to timber / thin out out our 40 acres in Jackson , OH and like the idea of a good reference for a forester.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Bawana]

Here are two numbers for you: (614) 265-6694 ODNR FOESTRY, and (614) 486-6767 Ohio Forestry Association. DEFINITELY USE A FORESTER!!

[FFKEVIN]

Thanks :biggrin:

[mrex]

mrex - can't send you a pm :irked: it says you have too many!



I was wondering if I could get Frank's number. We are looking to timber / thin out out our 40 acres in Jackson , OH and like the idea of a good reference for a forester.

Thanks,
Kevin

Sorry about that. I've cleared them out and will PM you with Frank's #.

[buckstar25]

I would suggest you first come up with a management outline. Start by drawing up a plan, cover mapping is great for establishing your management plan. Without going too much in to detail and to keep this post short, take the initiative to learna s much as you can about the process and about what you want to accomplish. The "forest" is it's own ecosystem that is constanly changing, human intrusion can either help or hinder these changes. Here is an example of how I cover mapped our 13 acre clearcut, this was the finalized draft after I consulted with the forester, state wildlife biologist, county soil and water, and finally the logging company. Succesional growth is an awesome thing to watch and if done correctly the benefits can be noticed almost immediately. Your local 4H, Boyscouts, Girlscouts, etc also help with re-planting the trees, this is a great way to get the kids out and involved. Good luck!

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w261/gotwipers/100_1290.jpg