Winter: Forestry through the Seasons

Winter is a wonderful time to be out in your woods!

Without leaves, you’ll have visibility to notice summer’s successes as well as potential issues for the coming dry season. By walking your woods and planning for spring, winter can be restorative and productive for you and your forest.

Walk your Woods

• Straighten up tree cages
• Check for how planted seedlings are doing – learn more 
• Monitor stream health
  • First steps for your stream
    • Check bank stability
    • Look for erosion, vegetation along bank
    • Check water clarity
  • Continuing steps
    • Take the water temperature
    • Start measuring stream flow
    • Get to know your bugs – learn more
    • Learn more rigorous monitoring techniques – learn more
  • Look for potential hazard trees – learn more
  • Be on the look out for new invasive plants listed by Washington  and Oregon
  • Look for stormwater issues, especially roads needing maintenance
  • Look back on 2018 management activities, revise 2019 plans

Plan for Spring

• Order native plants – find a native plant sale near you
• Order and build nesting boxes for birds and bats – learn more
• Do any pruning that’s needed – learn more
• Pre-commercial thinning – learn more (p. 21), or contact us for more information and contractor recommendations