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Determine What Your Land Can Do
Your management goals should be defined within the limits of what your land is capable of sustaining. For example, don't try to create an open woodland from a high-quality forest or manage high-quality timber on woodland sites with low growth potential.
A great way to start the process of learning about the potential of your wooded areas is to consult a professional forester. A forester will thoroughly assess your land and help you create a forest and wildlife management plan for achieving your goals.
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Woodland restored with timber stand improvement (TSI) and prescribed burning.
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MDC staff
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General Guidelines for Managing Your Forest
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- Protect forests and woodlands from grazing.
- Deaden large trees along edge of wooded areas.
- Plant 30-foot-wide strip of shrubs along mature forest edge.
- Create woodland/field edge habitat using edge feathering and field borders.
- Create small openings within large timber blocks.
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- Encourage native vines and fruiting shrubs.
- Apply timber stand improvement practices.
- Do not cut den trees and snags; install squirrel den boxes.
- Leave downed trees that result from firewood cutting.
- Fence a 50- to 100-foot-wide zone along all wooded stream banks to exclude livestock.