Whether you’re looking for new land that’s well-suited to new tree growth or adding to existing land, pine trees are always a great choice. In fact, of the estimated 111 pine tree species worldwide and 49 species that are native to North America, Georgia provides a native home to 11 varieties. Of course, some other species have been introduced to the state as well but for our purposes of planting trees for commercial forestry use (including wildlife management), we stick to three species. These species are Loblolly, slash and longleaf Pines. Georgia’s Native Pines Before you can select a species to grow, you need to know what your … [Read more...]
Forestry
Machine-Planting vs. Hand-Planting Trees
When it comes to planting trees, you can easily find proponents and critics of both approaches. The reality is that hand-planting and machine-planting, aka mechanical-planting, both have pros and cons. Therefore, it’s vital to carefully consider your options and to look closely at the land in question. After all, what works best in one area isn’t always going to be the right solution for another tract of land. How Does Hand-Planting Work? Although some companies stump loudly for machine-planting, those of us at Green Hill Land and Timber do a lot of hand-planting and make certain it is done correctly. There are many reasons for this, … [Read more...]
Good Timber Management in Second Thinning Improves Wildlife Habitat
Determine Management Objectives If you have timber that is 20 to 25 years old, it is time to thin or groom again. You probably have already determined your timber management objectives and hopefully have written them down. Revisit your objectives and refine them based on the timber stand you now have and the wildlife species you’re managing for. Keep these points front and center when developing or reviewing objectives: The soil will only support a certain volume of timber before it will stagnate and develop health issues. Thinning opens the stand and allows the residual timber stand to grow and be healthy. Opening the stand also allows … [Read more...]
What Is Involved In A Timber Inventory
There are certain things you need to know before starting to cruise timber. The forester must know the various timber products, size specifications and markets. Timber products include pine pulpwood, pine sawtimber, pine poles, pine chip-n-saw, hardwood pulpwood and hardwood sawtimber with different size specifications for each of the products. Sawtimber Hardwood sawtimber can be subdivided into an enormous variety of products themselves. The trees are measured at 4.5 feet from the ground (DBH) with the diameter tape. This measurement is referred to as diameter at breast height or DBH. The next measurement is the height. In sawtimber, the … [Read more...]
How to Find a Good Forester/Realtor
Boost your land sales potential with a good forester/realtor Selling land for the optimal value requires much more than simply a licensed realtor. After all, you wouldn’t ask a budget used car lot to sell a classic collectible vehicle, so why turn to someone who is an expert at subdivision sales when it’s time to sell land in the country? Instead, you’ll want to work with an expert in land sales who has proven experience moving lots of country-based acreages. Maximize Your Sale by Leveraging Timber Usage If you’ve used your land purely for recreational pleasure, you may not be aware that each type of tree has a different specific usage for … [Read more...]
Reforesting Your Timberland: Basics
Winter is the time to plant trees or reforest your harvested timberland. Planting is the last step to reforestation except for periodic survival checks. Some of the questions to be addressed in reforestation are as follows: What type of site preparation needs to be done and when? What type of pine seedling should you plant? What spacing or stocking should you plant? Where do you get the trees? Do you want to hand-plant seedlings or mechanically-plant the seedlings? How much capital do you want to invest in planting? This has a direct effect on how we prepare and plant the trees. How much does it cost to do the basic site prep and … [Read more...]