The Lifecycle of a Tree

Managing Timber for Long Term Growth

Just like any agricultural commodity, trees follow a natural life cycle. They sprout, mature, and eventually decline. While allowing nature to take its course is acceptable, actively managing timberland can offer benefits such as income, recreational opportunities, and wildlife habitat.

Moreover, harvesting mature trees is akin to picking ripe fruit. You could let your apples fall and go to waste, but then you’d have none left for making delicious apple pies!

In essence, mature trees are like ripe apples. You can leave them, but should you?

This is precisely why Timber Works consultants advocate for active timber management. With the right harvest plan in place, landowners can generate income from their forests while ensuring that the land remains in better condition for future generations.

Our experts collaborate with you to develop a plan that aligns with your goals and prioritizes environmental responsibility. Specifically, our logging practices aim to:

• Maintain Healthy Water Drainage
• Prevent Soil Erosion
• Market High-Quality Timber and Other Wood Products
• Enhance the Value and Quality of Woodlands Over Time

What is a Mature Tree

In addition to mature and financially valuable trees, it’s important to consider removing certain trees from the forest’s genetic makeup to enhance the overall quality and value of the stand. Specifically, we should focus on removing the following lower-quality trees to achieve the Timber Stand Improvement objectives:

• Suppressed trees: These are trees that won’t survive until the next thinning.
• Trees with deformities: Trees that are too crooked, forked, or have too many limbs to be suitable for No. 2 sawlogs.
• Trees with damage: This includes trees with fire scars or injuries caused by insects, disease, wind, or ice.
• Trees in the wrong location: For instance, a water oak growing on a ridge, which is not ideal for its species.
• Mature and slow-growing trees: Trees that are mature but grow at a slow rate.
• Non-contributing trees: Any tree that won’t add value to the stand during the next thinning.
• Wolf trees: These have large crowns that take up too much growing space or shade out more desirable species.

By creating a comprehensive forest management plan, Timber Works aims not only to help you generate income from harvesting your standing timber but also to ensure the health and value of your woods in the long term.

It’s important to note that there’s no one-size-fits-all forest management plan because every piece of timber is unique. Therefore, it’s crucial to partner with a reputable company that can guide you through the process, provide education along the way, and help you make informed decisions about the future of your timber.

Through the development and execution of a customized forest management plan, you’ll work toward achieving the following goals for your woods:

• High-quality trees: Focusing on the growth of top-quality trees.
• Fast-growing trees: Encouraging the growth of trees that mature quickly.
• Mast-producing and den trees for wildlife: Promoting the growth of trees that benefit wildlife.
• Efficient space usage: Ensuring that all available growing space is used efficiently.

Improving Timber Quality Over Time

While it may seem counterintuitive, our professional foresters may recommend removing certain small or low-quality trees in line with the forest management objectives mentioned earlier. This is because subpar trees can produce subpar seeds. By removing these trees, you improve the overall quality of your timber stand over time.

Eliminating trees with genetic defects ensures that the trees naturally reseeding your timber stand will be of higher quality, ultimately maximizing both the financial and ecological value of your woods.

Contact Timber Works today to schedule an appointment with one of our timber consultants. This consultation is obligation-free and an excellent way to proactively manage and steward your land responsibly.