Perhaps the most overlooked part of forest management is harvest planning. Too often, this step is overlooked by inexperienced landowners. Only after the timber harvesting has begun, or worse, is completed, do they realize that certain wildlife, aesthetic, or logistic provisions should have been considered. Good management plans should include enough details to cover important issues such as:
Economics – Is the harvest unit large enough to be economically feasible? What
products are available for harvest? Do the financial returns meet the landowner’s goals?
Regeneration – How will the stand be regenerated? Will it be planted, or will you
rely on natural regeneration? Should the stand be burned prior to harvest to facilitate site preparation? How long will it be before regeneration occurs?
Wildlife Habitat – Another overlooked, but equally important, aspect of forest
management is the effect your practices will have on wildlife. There are a plethora of
timber-harvesting details that can have dramatic influence on wildlife habitat. Is the size
and shape of the harvest area conducive for use by wildlife? Are travel corridors
provided? What provisions have been made to protect mast-producing trees? Is there a
good diversity of different-aged stands to benefit a variety of species of wildlife?
Once you have decided to implement a management plan, the practices you use can be as intensive as you want or can afford. The simplest forest management plans involve single-aged stands of a single species, such as in loblolly pine plantations. The more complex plans can involve a variety of different forest types in uneven-aged stands that require different forms of management. A diverse forest habitat can provide the necessary habitat for a larger variety of species by combining timber types, age classes, and stand conditions in one area.
When developing your forest management program, it is also important to look closely at adjoining properties and to consider their influences. This consideration is a key element of forest stewardship, especially when managing small ownerships. Allowing an adjoining stand to reach a different developmental stage, before harvesting your area, results in a diverse habitat effect.
Protecting areas around streams is also highly beneficial to soil and water quality and wildlife. Unfortunately, some of the most valuable timber grows on highly productive stream fronts and surrounding areas. Many benefits result from establishing streamside management zones (SMZs) where timber harvesting is limited.
In Mississippi, Best Management Practices set by the Mississippi Forestry Commission provide recommendations for the least ecological damage from timber harvesting. Prior to a timber harvest, it is imperative to clearly mark the boundaries of SMZs to prevent timber-harvest encroachment.
With proper planning, landowners and managers can integrate management practices that will enable them to meet multiple objectives on a single piece of land. Economics, regeneration, and wildlife must all be considered to assure that the land will continue to produce timber and wildlife that future generations can profit from and enjoy.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a non‑profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their web site is www.wildlifemiss.org.
