A good forest management plan can help landowners generate more income, enhance wildlife habitat, and leave the forest in better shape for the future

If you're one of the 84,000 people who own a piece of New Hampshire's forest, you're a steward of our clean water, beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, fresh air, and natural and cultural heritage, not to mention the basis of our forest industry and much of our recreation.

Owning land gives many rewards and, as with most precious things, the more you pay attention to your land and care for it, the greater those rewards.

"It's important to think about what you really want from your land," says Wendy Scribner, UNH Cooperative Extension forest resources educator in Carroll County. "You can grow firewood and timber, create a haven for wildlife, cut trails--the list is endless," she says. Steve Roberge, her colleague in Cheshire County, agrees. "Owning land gives you many options. I'm here to help," he says.

You don't have to go it alone. Start with an Extension forester.
There are Extension forestry educators like Scribner and Roberge in each New Hampshire county. Their job is to help and advise forest landowners. If you don't know your local Extension forester, a call to the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry Information Center at 1-800-444-8978 will connect you.

In addition to these forestry educators, more than 200 licensed foresters statewide offer a variety of services, including forest stewardship planning, current use assistance, forest inventory and appraisal, buying and selling standing trees, nurturing young trees (weeding and thinning), wildlife habitat management, marking trees to cut for regenerating the next forest, and laying out trails and other recreation improvements.

In New Hampshire, all foresters offering services to private landowners for compensation must be licensed. UNH Cooperative Extension compiles a directory of licensed foresters offering services to landowners, but no list compensates for an informed consumer. "I can walk the land with landowners and help them know what they can get out of their land," says Roberge, adding, "Caring for land can be complicated."

Selling timber is possibly the most complicated woodlot activity and yet timber sales can be an important tool for achieving personal objectives, which may include generating more income, improving wildlife habitat, or constructing woods roads. Developing a management plan with the help of a licensed forester helps you avoid mistakes by marking the trees to cut, arranging for a buyer, preparing a written contract, collecting payments, and making sure environmental laws are followed.

Does it pay to hire a forester to help you take care of your woodlot?
You bet! "Thoughtful planning pays, "says Scribner. "Studies show that forest owners with management plans double their timber-sale income, leave twice the number of trees to grow for the future, and do a better job of enhancing wildlife habitat in their woodlots than owners without plans."

Without experience in the marketplace, would you be able to evaluate the fairness of an offer? A recent study in Massachusetts found that prices offered for standing timber varied as much as 212 percent. A New Hampshire study cited the benefits of using forestry assistance during timber sales as generating a higher income, improving the quality of the stand, and having more remaining trees in your lot.

Only you can select a forester who can meet your needs, someone you trust and with whom you feel comfortable. The forester needs to understand your objectives, interests and limitations. You can care for your land and you don't have to go it alone.

For more information about forestry help, contact the UNH Cooperative Extension Forestry Information Center at 1-800-444-8978 or visit the Forests & Trees pages of our Web site.

By Karen Bennett, UNH Cooperative Extension forest resources specialist