Forest
Management Services
Our
members benefit from a variety of sustainable forest management
services that improve the productivity and value of the forest
stand. All of these services are recommended forest stewardship
practices.
Forest
Management Planning
Having
a written forest management plan is the most important step
in managing your forest resources sustainably. It contains
your goals and objectives, lists an inventory of your forests
resources, and prescribes management activities that will
help you achieve your forest management goals and objectives.
Sound
advice on Forest Management Planning from the Virginia Department
of Forestry
Timber
Stand Improvement
Timber
Stand Improvement or TSI (as it is commonly called) is a forest
management practice (or suite of practices) that improves
the quality of the stand (relative to the owner's objectives).
The BRFC provides members with TSI services that usually includes
salvaging salable products through low-impact timber harvesting.
The
BRFC is testing and refining low-impact
harvesting systems to provide an acceptable unit cost for
harvested and salvaged timber and meet landowner’s diverse
forest managemetn objectives. Trees are removed according
to the forester-recommended silvicultural prescription. (Learn
about silvicultural prescriptions from Virginia Tech's College
of Natural Resources)
Timber
Stand Improvement-TSI
Unacceptable
growing stock removed in order to improve growing
conditions in the residual stand. Leave trees are
marked with a red spot of paint. Note the minimal
damage to the residual stand.
Forest
Landcare Services
In
addition to timber stand improvement harvesting, many landowners
have special land management needs. The Blue Ridge Forestry
Cooperative offers an array of "forest landcare services"
including fencing to exclude livestock (how
does this benefit the forest?), site preparation and planting
for specialty forest products, invasive species removal, wetland
management and group FSC certification.
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