Sustainable Forest Management on Private Land:
Sustainable Forestry is periodically, selectively, and carefully harvesting the annual growth from a fully stocked stand of high quality timber in a manner that protects the environment and continually improves the future of the forest.  This is like building up an investment to its peak value, and then using just the interest for income each year, while keeping the principle intact for the future. 

A fully stocked stand of good timber is the goal of Sustainable Forestry.  This is a stand of all ages and sizes, with a natural variety of tree species.  This is a stand that naturally regenerates and gradually changes over time.  This is a stand of trees that fully occupies the site - efficiently using the available light, water, and soil nutrients - producing maximum growth of valuable wood products.  This stand provides the many benefits of a healthy forest to the native plants, wildlife, forest owners, and the surrounding community.

Few fully stocked stands of good trees exist today in Wisconsin.  Low stumpage prices in the past have lead to short sighted management that has degraded our forests in many ways.    High grade harvesting, grazing, burning and neglect  have resulted in our once vast timber resource now no longer being able to meet the growing demands of our forest products industry.  Future supplies of good quality wood will fall well short of demand.

Forest owners need to understand the ongoing changes in supply and demand for timber to manage their resource properly.    Timber prices have risen 1,000% in the past twenty years in Wisconsin due to increased global demand and a declining supply of good wood.  This trend is expected to proceed and magnify as these forces continue to change.  Those forest owners who choose to manage their timber well and produce good quality wood in the future will be in extremely high demand.  An illustration of the increased value of standing timber:  A good red oak tree 18 inches in diameter, containing 210 board feet would have sold for about $10.50 back in 1977.  If that tree had been properly managed over the past two decades, it would be about 28 inches in diameter today and would now be worth  approximately $560.00! 

To develop a fully stocked forest, cut less than the annual growth, and protect as many of the best quality, larger trees as possible.  Closely monitor the growth of the better crop trees and work to grow them at the rate of 1/2" diameter per year.  When you have a stand of 20-40 high quality crop trees per acre that  are 20-30" diameter, then you will be getting close to full stocking.  By monitoring annual tree growth, you will know when crop tree growth begins to slow (when the stand is fully stocked), then you can begin sustained yield harvesting to maintain optimal crop tree growth throughout the future. 
Sustained yield harvesting is periodically, selectively and carefully cutting the annual growth of a forest, without ever depleting or damaging the standing inventory of high quality timber.

Sustainable Forestry makes a full commitment to the future.  It protects the environment and nurtures the natural ecosystem of the forest.  It is in balance with its community.                                      home