If your property is entirely wooded, your only option to create some young forest may be through careful timber harvesting methods, such as patch cuts.
This brochure from Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection discusses how careful timber harvesting, including the limited use of small clearcuts, can improve habitat for wildlife like chestnut-sided warbler, brown thrasher, and eastern box turtle.
Timber harvests, especially heavier cuts to create young woods, can look ugly after they’re first cut. But nature recovers. This poster from New Hampshire’s Fish and Game Department shows pictures of a clearcut over 25 years to show how young forest habitat emerges.
When New Hampshire landowners Bob and Trish Leipold realized their property was no longer supporting American woodcock, they worked with a forester to harvest trees and improve habitat for the birds. This article shares their story in their own words.
Selling trees is one of the most complicated tasks you’ll undertake as a woodlot owner. Plan ahead to get the best results for wildlife habitat, earning income, and protecting your land’s soil and water.
Management on private lands play an integral role in supporting at-risk species.