Woodlots Offer Wide Range of Benefits to the Owner

By Burl S. Ashley.

Property owners who have a portion of their holdings in trees are indeed richly endowed. Possessing a few scattered trees can be beneficial, but owning a bona fide woodlot can result in numerous advantages.

A woodlot, or small forest, can be defined as a dense growth of trees on an acre or more, usually under 100 acres. A few scattered trees cannot be construed as a forest. There must be many trees, each depending upon the others and all forming a community. This close association is important to maintenance of productivity through planned management.

Benefits and pleasures of owning such a tree community are many. However, they will be greatly magnified if you practice good forestry. Not only will planned care of a woodlot insure monetary rewards, but it can be an enjoyable experience.

Some owners with large holdings derive their entire livelihood from the sale of forest products. Others sell trees occasionally to supplement their regular source of income.

It takes an average of 30 to 50 years for a tree to yield a merchantable log. Value of these trees varies greatly because of the difference in demand for them and the quality of the wood. Black walnut is presently the most valuable with the possibility of a 40-year-tree selling for as much as $500. In contrast, a pine tree of the same age might bring $25.

Many owners cherish their forests for the multitude of intangible riches they yield, and accept the wood harvests as an extra benefit. Others consider the wood yield as the primary objective.

Some landowners are blessed with an already established forest when they purchase their property. Some begin with bare land and "build" a forest by planting seedlings.

Establishing a plantation usually requires the planting of 400 to 1,000 seedlings on each acre. In 10 years, these small trees should reach a height of 10 to 20 feet, depending on the species. Their crowns should touch and the entire plantation begin to appear as an established forest community.

Forest Planning

No matter what stage of development a forest is in, whether a new plantation or an old, mature community of trees, you need a plan for its future management.

This plan of action should consist of activities which will increase productivity of the area and produce a forest that fulfills your desires.

You need not be a forester to prepare this plan, but advice from one would be extremely helpful. Foresters are available to prepare a complete plan some who are government-employed are available without charge.

Many woodlots are producing less than half their potential capabilities because of the lack of plans and appropriate resulting activities.

A management plan can be very simple. It should list your objectives and a timetable for carrying out activities needed to achieve these objectives. Your plan also should include a detailed map of the area and an inventory of the trees by species and size.

Because of the constant changes occurring within a forest, improvement in forestry techniques, flexibility of markets, and other varying factors, the plan cannot be absolutely rigid. It should be periodically amended and updated as necessary.

Forest Renewal

Just as the human population must be perpetuated, so must the tree population in a forest. Trees become established, grow to maturity and are harvested or eventually die. You should provide for continuous replacement of these trees.

The theory of planting a tree for every one that is removed from a forest doesn't always apply; in fact, other means normally are used.

Where the forest is to be started by planting, or harvested trees are to be replaced by this means, the process is accomplished with special hand tools or machines. Seedlings for planting are available from private nurseries and State Forestry organizations at nominal costs. One person can plant about 500 trees in an 8-hour day, but with a planting machine the daily output can be upped to nearly 10,000 trees.

Most forests can be restocked naturally. This system requires careful planning. The species of trees involved dictates the methods that can be used since each has different characteristics and requirements.

Many species need an abundance of light to develop, and won't survive beneath larger trees. Others prosper in the understory. Because of such critical differences, you must create conditions that will stimulate the well-being of each species.

Forest Improvement

Once a woodlot is established, it needs attention and care. If it turns into a neglected area, its productivity and usefulness will be greatly reduced, and sometimes it becomes a liability.

All woodlots don't require the same care. The needs depend upon the species of trees, markets, past treatment, age of the forest, and your objectives.

Improvement activities often needed are:

Thinning. As trees increase in size, their requirements for space, moisture, nutrients, and light increase. If these requirements are not met, individual tree growth slows and vigor is lost. Under these conditions, it is impossible to grow high-quality trees and realize the maximum profit.

For example, a pine forest may begin with 1,000 trees per acre and after several thinnings at 10-year intervals, the final harvest may yield only 100 large, high-quality trees. If no thinnings are made in such a forest, many tree,-, will die and the final harvest will yield several hundred small, low-quality trees.

Trees removed in thinnings can usually be sold at a profit. However, when a thinning is made in a stand of very small trees, they may not be salable. Nevertheless, you will profit by having higher-quality trees to market in subsequent sales.

Cull Tree Removal. All trees don't develop into beautiful specimens. Some grow crooked, others decay and become hollow, still others suffer root or top damage. With such defects, trees lose their ability to yield merchantable products. They are referred to as culls and most should be removed from the forest community to permit better trees to develop. These culls can be compared to weeds in a garden.

If a hollow cull tree is being used by wildlife, such as squirrels, and you have wildlife production as one of your objectives, do not remove this otherwise undesirable tree.

Sometimes a flowering species of trees, such as dogwood, is considered valuable for esthetic reasons, but otherwise it is a cull. It should, of course, be left to grow, even though it will never yield a commercial product.

Pruning. Trees that are knotty are regarded as low in quality and don't sell for high prices. You can improve the quality of your trees by pruning off limbs from the main stem at an early age. Never remove the limbs from more than half the total height of the tree and only from chosen "crop trees" trees which will form the final harvest.

This practice is usually confined to some evergreen species and high quality hardwoods. At today's labor rates, it costs about 300 to prune a 5-inch diameter pine tree to a height of 10 feet.

When trees are grown close together, the mutual shading prevents development of many side branches, thus reducing the need for pruning. Such dense stands, however, prevent fast diameter growth of the main stem.

When growing a very valuable species such as black walnut, where you want maximum diameter growth, don't allow the stand of trees to become dense enough to cause natural pruning. Do the pruning manually.

Although many types of tools are used for removing the side branches, a pruning saw is best and can be purchased for $15 to $30.

Selecting for Harvest. One of the most crucial periods in the life of a woodlot is when trees are selected for harvest. The improper choice of trees can result in a substantial reduction in future productivity. Forests have been completely destroyed by harvesting the wrong trees.

One of the most-used reasons for harvesting individual trees is maturity; however, this is only one of the reasons that may be used. Consideration for the establishment of new trees is always important. It is best to operate under the guidance of a professional forester when selecting trees for harvest.