By Chris Goodman VI

Spring has arrived.  What can new foresters expect and what should they watch for? 

Foresters everywhere watch with hope and anticipation as a new year of forest growth begins.  Experienced foresters and families with a forestry history have a pretty good idea of what to expect as their forest growth season begins.  They are able to see what is unusual and decide if events merit more attention.

How do less experienced foresters make the right decisions to successfully manage their forests if they lack a history of forest management experience? Maybe our family forest experiences can offer some of the answers.

Early in 2008, my wife and I purchased industrial forest acreage recently logged and replanted.  We took our first shaky steps as foresters at a time when our desire was high, our knowledge limited and our forest support network small. 

In the three years since, our desire has tempered and our knowledge and support network has greatly expanded.  Still, the question remains important and personal, what can new foresters expect when a new year begins? 

Lacking experience and a woods-wise history, new foresters like us, rely a lot on our observations, articles about forest practices, and a network of foresters and forestry associations.  Additionally, our success is linked to buckets full of “can do” spirit. But more than anything, we needed to educate ourselves. 

Forest stewardship classes showed us what was possible.  Not only did we learn about the makings of a forest, we began making friends with other foresters and industry experts.   We approached a lot of people saying, “Hey, we are new tree farmers dedicated to success.  We value your knowledge and we want to learn from you.”   As a result, their experience and advice continues to give us direction.  We carefully listen to their advice and critically evaluate suggestions in the light of our limited, but growing forest knowledge.

Often the answers were baffling, but still we chose to try their ideas just to see what would happen.  At other times, we found the advice to be in-line with forestry practices and we completed projects secure in the knowledge that we were doing things just like other foresters.  We’ve also come to believe that foresters need to be courageously innovative and adaptive at times.  

Class lessons were combined with the suggestions and comments of the many professionals who came to visit our forest for a walk-about.  Working together, our family wrote our forest stewardship plan.  Public records helped garner more information about our land, our neighbors, and the culture of our region.

Approval of our stewardship plan in 2008 helped us achieve American Tree Farm and FSC certifications.   Our chain of custody number is a treasure we guard with intense pride.  A recent rewrite of our stewardship plan is now based more on our increased learning, the advice and encouragement of forestry professionals, and some but still limited forestry experience.

Today, our forestry family focuses upon the seasonal and everyday practices of precommercial thinning, pruning, invasive species control, road and landing maintenance and plantings.   Our grandchildren, the third forest generation, come to the forest with excitement and hope.  Tree and shrub plantings with the youngest of our families are fun.  These smallest of foresters carefully walk through the forest carrying coffee cans holding plants.  They are so happy digging their first seedling holes.  Later trips to our forest must include treks to check on their plantings.

Recreationally, we enlarged a log landing to be a family gathering place.   A large fire pit, tent and trailer sites along with toilet and shower facilities make this a real home away from home.  Trails are built using principles of the Appalachian Trail manual along with volunteer experience gained by working with the Washington Trails Association.

Forest practice cost-sharing assistance (EQIP & WHIP) supplies us monetary help, but requires our completion of annual project timelines.  Other contractual obligations include a lot of common forest practices, but some also require us to seek more help to understand and complete projects.  Precommercial thinning requires writing and executing contracts; plantings increase species diversity and stand densities; and a variety of habitat projects increases forest biodiversity.

Practical education is useful to us.  We used high angle rescue rope-rigging to move jute matting, straw bales and plants uphill along a 700 foot, 35 percent sloped washout to control erosion.  Successfully completed, the matting and grasses slow rain fall and no further erosion has occurred. 

Soon we’ll create snags by delimbing standing timber and vertically raising down logs.   Planting of larger cedar trees (3-5 foot) in old logs and stumps will reforest a cedar wetland and help dry the soils.  Bird and bat boxes need to be constructed and installed.

Alternate forest products include the cultivation of existing tree species and the limited introduction of other non-native, but ecologically similar species.  Our seasonal bough program consists of Grand, noble, and Nordmann fir.

An annual forest meeting at our forest is used to review the past year, and plan for the new.  Our sons and daughters choose a project forester whose main job is to plan the next year’s projects.  They work with “dad” our administrative forester to plan projects and request supplies and funding.  Project foresters are encouraged to complete the various projects on time and within budget. 

We have come a long way since our beginnings.  Still we know we have a long way to go to become true foresters.  However, education, our network, hands-on management and practical experience allows us to prepare our future generations to be responsible forest stewards. We are greening and growing our family forest legacy.  We are looking forward to this years season of growth.