FORESTRY CONSULTATION
Tree Dogs offers a number of forestry services including Forest Management Plans, Timber Sale Administration, Land Mapping, Forest Inventory, and Timber Stand Improvement. Our Vermont Certified Forester, Jamie MacKinnon, can help you make the most of your woodland. Call today to schedule your free initial consultation.
Forest Management Plans
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What you can expect when we write a Forest Management Plan for you:
-Initial meet and greet where we discuss your experiences as the landowner and steward of your forest, and our initial impression of your forest -Field survey, including hard data collected in plots, and general observations made about past use and forest health -Synthesis of field data to form a Forest Inventory report, detailing tree species composition, size, age, height, and health for each forest stand -Property map which delineates forest stands, details water sources and main trails, and highlights ecologically sensitive areas -A second discussion where we will relate our findings to you, the forest owner, and give you our best management recommendations to foster a healthy and productive forestland -Final composition of a Forest Management Plan compliant with Vermont's Use Value Appraisal (Current Use) standards for the next 10 years |
Timber Sale Administration
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Why should you harvest timber from your forest?
A timber sale is an important process in the life of your forest. We believe that with the professional application of proper harvest prescriptions, a forest can become healthier, more diverse, more accessible, and just as beautiful as it was pre-harvest. We love trees, and we love the forest, and we also love the wood products that come out of the forests we manage. As a forestland owner who chooses to harvest timber on a periodic basis, you are responsible for providing heat, building materials, paper products, electricity, railroad ties, and furniture stock (to name a few) for your immediate community and the world abroad. The other good news is that in the wake of a well planned harvest you will see an abundance of new growth, whether it be seedlings and saplings responding to an increase of light and moisture, fungi colonizing branches and stumps, or wildlife taking advantage of new cover and food sources. |
What does the timber harvest process look like?
Timber harvests come in many shapes and sizes depending on the details of your Forest Management Plan. We closely follow the prescriptions for each stand to be harvested and mark the trees with paint, which are to be cut by a professional and trustworthy contracted logger. We determine the location of skid trails and landings to maximize efficiency and minimize residual damage to trees and the soil. As timber is harvested, we ensure that operations are adhering to our contracted standards and are maintaining proper water quality practices on the trail network. We always attempt to get the best use and value for the wood that leaves your property and heads to market, and detailed reports are provided throughout a harvest. Once all the wood products have left the property, excavation equipment is used to grade and clear main trails and landing areas of debris, and to install proper water diversions on all trails in compliance with Vermont Acceptable Management Practices.
Timber harvests come in many shapes and sizes depending on the details of your Forest Management Plan. We closely follow the prescriptions for each stand to be harvested and mark the trees with paint, which are to be cut by a professional and trustworthy contracted logger. We determine the location of skid trails and landings to maximize efficiency and minimize residual damage to trees and the soil. As timber is harvested, we ensure that operations are adhering to our contracted standards and are maintaining proper water quality practices on the trail network. We always attempt to get the best use and value for the wood that leaves your property and heads to market, and detailed reports are provided throughout a harvest. Once all the wood products have left the property, excavation equipment is used to grade and clear main trails and landing areas of debris, and to install proper water diversions on all trails in compliance with Vermont Acceptable Management Practices.
Land Mapping
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Forest Inventory
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Timber Stand Improvement
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Timber Stand Improvements (TSI) are non-commercial active management techniques used to increase the vigor and health of your forest. The most common form of TSI is crop tree release, where well formed individuals of desirable species are released from light and moisture competition by surrounding trees. Other forms of TSI might focus on the removal of invasive or non marketable species, beech control, and regenerative cuts in low vigor stands.
We are uniquely suited to provide cost effective TSI for you as we carry with us both silvicultural understanding and many years of high pace professional chainsaw experience. |