Managing Forest Ecosystems

Forest management is a process that involves applying technical forestry principles, practices, and business techniques to manage a forest. The goal is to achieve the landowner's objectives, which can vary greatly. Examples of these objectives include sources of income, tax shelter, product yield, soil stabilization, aesthetics, preservation, and more.

The careful development of a forest management plan in consultation with a professional forester is essential to achieve desired objectives. This plan is not "cast in stone," but is an evolving one that should be periodically reviewed and updated. Intervals between reviews and updates should ideally be no more than five to 10 years, and more often if recommended by a forester.

The planning process includes identifying landowner objectives, inventorying resources, developing and implementing the management strategy, and periodically reevaluating the implemented strategy. Resource inventory involves measuring forest characteristics such as tree species, condition, numbers, age, volume, value, growth, and basal area, as well as evaluating soil/site quality.

Silvicultural prescriptions, which are treatments designed to manipulate forested land, including timber cuttings, tree plantings, prescribed burning, and the use of specific chemicals such as herbicides and fertilizers, are a part of the management strategy. However, the use of fertilizers in most hardwood woodlands in Ohio could increase total growth, but if economic/financial return is an important ownership objective, it may not be an attractive silvicultural alternative due to the potential for lower returns compared to other investments.

The most important goals of forest owners in Ohio in managing their forests typically include sustainable timber production, wildlife habitat conservation, and maintaining forest health and recreational opportunities. Depending on ownership objectives, other resources may be inventoried such as boundaries, wildlife, wildlife habitat, streams, trails, roads, campsites, vistas, and easements.

In some cases, forest management may emphasize a single resource objective, such as maximizing timber yield or developing the forest primarily as wildlife habitat. This is known as dominant-use management. Alternatively, multiple-use management aims to enhance or produce more than one product or amenity, such as income from timber harvest, wildlife habitat enhancement, and the maintenance of aesthetic quality.

It's important to note that non-financial returns, such as the development of hiking trails, vistas, or wildlife habitat, may be pursued even with little or no expected financial return. The forest management plan is the blueprint of activities for caring for the forest and should be treated as such.

Changes in ownership objectives, forest inventory, technology, and/or the business climate can all result in the need for modification of a forest management plan. In Ohio, it is recommended that intervals between periodic reviews and updates of the management plan should be no more than five to 10 years and more often if recommended by a forester.