Crop Tree Management and Sustainable Forestry have no meaning if the professional logger in your woods isn't fully informed and supportive of your management plan.  A successful forest management program on private property has to have access to  highly skilled and well paid loggers.  Good logging crews and good markets for pulp, sawbolts, sawlogs and veneer logs are critical to the forest owners success, and the forest owner's success is critical to the future of the wood industry.

There are highly skilled loggers who work very hard to harvest timber in a way that enhances the future production of the forest.  It takes extra time to protect the residual stand from damage while logging, and you need to pay these professionals more money to compensate them for their effort. 

A good harvesting team will carefully plan their skid trails to minimize the skidding through the forest.  The feller will drop the tree so the skidder can pull the log to the main trail without having to turn the log (usually the most damage is done by turning logs in a woods).  The feller will plan each skid load to make the skidder's job as efficient as possible.  Long logs are cut into lengths 25 feet or less before skidding through the forest.  Short narrow skid loads do little damage.  Extra care is taken not to damage crop trees while winching and skidding.  Small skidders do much less damage than larger machines that try to haul a large quantity at one time.  Again this takes time, but the value of quality logging is paramount to good forestry.  At this time, a selective harvest harvest team should be paid about $100 per thousand board feet for average conditions.  Small trees and long skids would require higher pay.  Cordwood logging should pay $40- $50/cord if the market allows.    Pulpwood and Sawbolts should be removed wherever possible.  Pay a good crew well - they are worth it.

Skidding with horses is an old method that is very popular with forest owners today.  They are slower, but do much less damage to the forest.  Short skids, preferably downhill are ideal for these animals.  Watching a trained team is very impressive.  If a team is available in your area,  check them out.  Even with lower overhead, expect to pay a little more for horses. (its worth it) more