Foresters provide advice and assistance to landowners

I would like to start this article by introducing myself to all of you since this is my first time writing the farm column. My name is Jake Peer and I am a consulting forester over in Richland County. Although I live in Richland County, I find myself working in Ashland County quite a bit.

Additionally, I have collaborated with Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District on several projects over the last few years. I am a 2013 graduate of The Ohio State University with a bachelor of science degree in forestry and wildlife management. Since that time I have held a few positions, but my dream always has been to be a forester. And since 2020, I have been doing forestry full-time with my own business, opening in the spring of 2021.

You might be asking yourself the question, what is a forester? A forester is a professional with formal education and training in the art and science of managing trees. When seeking advice about managing your forests, you should always meet with a forester. The Division of Forestry has service foresters who can provide free advice and assistance to landowners.

Here in Ashland County, your service forester is John Jolliff.

Consulting foresters help landowners develop management plans

Consulting foresters, like me, help landowners develop forest management plans and execute those management plans. Additionally, you should hire a consulting forester to administer your timber harvest when it’s time for that. The consulting forester works for you and protects your interests while selling timber.

There also are industry foresters who work for sawmills and work to procure a supply of wood for the sawmill. Be aware, Ohio does not have a legal definition of who may call themselves a forester. So, you always want to be sure to talk to your forester about their education and make sure to ask for references before you hire them to do work on your property.

You can find lists of professional foresters on the Ohio Association of Consulting Foresters website as well as the Ohio Society of American Foresters website.

I mentioned consulting foresters can assist you in developing a forest management plan. A forest management plan is a document that serves as a reference for you as you manage your forestland. While developing this plan, the consulting forester will visit your property with you to get an idea of what is happening in your forestland. They will also ask questions to understand your goals for the property.

Each plan will contain descriptions about the various stands of timber and provide recommendations about how to achieve your goals. Ideally, this plan will provide you with a map of your property that coincides with the stand descriptions outlined within it.

Issues most likely to be encountered

The most common issue your management plan likely will help you to understand is how to manage your non-native invasive plants, if your property has them. Most properties have at least a minor issue with non-native invasive plants. Some of the most common ones I find are bush honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, Ailanthus, Oriental bittersweet and Japanese stiltgrass. The management plan will include information on how to manage these pests.

Additionally, your plan may talk about doing some forest stand improvements like cull tree removal, crop tree release or maybe even creating temporary forest openings. The recommendations depend entirely on what your goals are for the property.

It is noteworthy, that to be enrolled in a forestland tax reduction program like the Current Agricultural Use Valuation program or the Ohio Forest Tax Law program, you likely will need to have a forest management plan.

Depending on your goals, your forest management plan may recommend a timber harvest. This can be done for a variety of reasons. Some common reasons people harvest timber are to create an additional revenue stream on their farm, keep the forest from becoming over-mature and stagnant, to enhance wildlife habitat, manage for specific species of trees like white oak or use the wood after it has been damaged in a storm like the one we experienced in June 2022.

Managing your timber sale is something a consulting forester likely will be able to assist you with. Generally, a consulting forester will manage this process from start to finish to make sure it happens in a sustainable manner.

In conclusion, I just want to reiterate the fact that when receiving advice from people claiming to be foresters, it is important to verify they have a formal education in the art and science of managing trees.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Consulting foresters can be the guide to managing land properly