Frequently Asked Forestry Questions

A consulting forester (consultant) is a professional forester with a forestry degree from an accredited university program. A consultant’s principal business activity is providing forestry advice to landowners. Consultants do not have financial interests in a timber purchasing. Their main focus is on the private forest owner who hires them.  Their activities are linked only with services rendered to private forest owners. Forestry consultants possess different ranges of expertise.  Finding the “right” consultant to best fit your needs is important.

When selecting a private consulting forest, inquire about these matters:

• Do they practice Sustainable Forest Management?  Sustainable forestry manages for environmental, economic and long term goals
• Will they listen to your objectives?
• What Insurance do they carry? (liability, errors and omissions, workers’ compensation insurance)
• Will they oversee your entire project or just write you a management plan?
• Do they have the skills your job may require? Examples: Do they hire reputable loggers? Can they scale logs? Are they accredited for Plan writing?
• References
• Years and type of experience
• Education
• Fee structures (hourly, percentage, per acre basis);

Hiring a forester will help you achieve your management goals and inform you about your options. Foresters have backgrounds in ecology, economics, legal issues, and sustainable harvesting practices. The combination of a college-level education and on-the-job training contributes to their expertise. Foresters can help you to inventory your natural resources, conduct Timber Stand Improvement (TSI), harvest timber, and make an estate plans. They are also your number one resource for wildlife habitat improvement and other ecosystem service management.

Forest management is based upon standard practices and the goals of the forest owner. Forestry has many technical and financial aspects. A consultant will be able to guide a forest owner through a decision-making process. Few forest owners rank revenue high among their priorities, but they do have reasons for owning property. A consultant can help an owner achieve ownership goals with sustainable forest management. Forest ecology and habitat enhancement are often more complicated than most people realize. A long term plan is needed to meet these goals.

Timber sales can be daunting. Using the services of an experienced consultant to implement management plan recommendations greatly reduces the risk of adverse results. You want your forest to regenerate while achieving goals like road creation. Should harvests occur you need timber sale contracts and market knowledge. Marketing the trees to the best loggers takes experience. Loggers also have a range of abilities and equipment configurations. A practiced eye to administer and monitor the sale will help avoid misunderstandings. It also provides a layer of protection to the sale. Income tax implications are significant and should be accommodated in timber sale design.

The experience of a consultant will  implement particular forestry practices or timber sales, within the constraints of forest owner goals and property limitations.

“Managed Forest: Your Legacy, Their Future!” It is truly a privilege to own land resources within the USA. And as property owners, we can influence these uniquely designed ecosystems in many different ways to meet our personal desires. When we are actively managing our landscapes and natural resources, finding balance is the key between utilization and preservation that will allow for harmony to be maintained. We have witnessed great alterations to the land from the past as our nation grew at exponential rates. And now we are healing from sum of the un-sound practices that were thought of as acceptable standards. Our forests have proven to be resilient to some extent and have weathered through time. But the resilience will fade after repeated unsustainable offenses. Remember, finding balance is the key.

“We can use our forests in a way that will benefit our current needs while at the same time encourage and enhance the resource to be enjoyed for future generations. Land management is a perpetual long term endeavor that requires vision, good planning, and endurance. The great cutover from the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s capitalized and temporarily exhausted our forest. These practices have shaped our current forest and provided resources to build the foundation of our communities. Those practices belong in the past and should not be forgotten. New management methods that are ethical and sustainable should be employed to allow for utilize of our forest to meet our needs while still remaining healthy and productive. Managing with a purpose and a plan will provide good reason when the industry is attacked by uninformed anti-management organizations and groups.

We work in a 30 mile radius of zip code 54470. This makes our primary counties of service Taylor, Price & Lincoln.
Our secondary counties of service are: Clark, Wood, Marathon, Ashland, Iron, Onieda, Rusk & Sawyer
Large acreage Landowners will be considered on a case by case basis.

Referral from satisfied landowners is a great way to find a local forester. Going to your local DNR office for a recommendation is also a good path. Internet searches as a starting point then you must check their qualifications.

Use this tool WI DNR Certified Plan Writer Directory:  Select your county. Then select Cooperating forester

A certified plan writer is a cooperating forester certified by the DNR to write Managed Forest Law (MFL) plans. Certification is granted to individual foresters. Certified plan writers are the only private consulting foresters who can write management plans for the MFL program.

Timber Investment Land Holders
Private Landowners
Family Legacies & Trusts

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