ALL YEAR

REMEMBER WOODLANDS ARE A CROP TOO; DEVELOP A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THEM

Many of you are starting now to develop or carry out management plans for traditional row crops. But there is one crop you might have overlooked -- your woodlands.

As part of the total farm management package, you need a plan to increase woodland production and revenues the same as you have plans to manage traditional row crops. A row crop management plan is usually for six or seven months, while a forest management plan is long term. Both give you higher production and a greater end value return.

It's important to work with a professional forester to develop a management plan that addresses your needs. A professional forester's knowledge of forests and forest products and potential markets can increase your potential income from two to five times.

Your woodlands management plan will identify work that needs to be done ranging from sections that are ready for immediate timber harvest to areas that need improvement or should be planted. It also might suggest multiple woodland uses.

Your woodlands might need to be improved if they contain tree species with a low timber value, trees whose growth or shape makes them unsuitable for timber use, or fire-damaged trees that will never increase in value. Cull out low-value trees or those not appropriate for timber.

In addition, your farm might have lands that have outlived their efficiency for traditional row crop or livestock production, but might have the potential to be planted into woodlands. A management plan could bring these lands into more productive and profitable use.

A woodland management plan also might pinpoint other uses such as a wildlife habitat, recreation, or watershed management. A total farm plan needs to incorporate the timber aspect.