Don't lose your Forest! Manage it!
Our Complete Forest Management Program can insure healthy, productive, and diverse forest stands for your children and grandchildren. The future of Missouri's forests depends on you, the landowner.
According to US Forest Service data, over half of Missouri's private timberland is over-stocked. This leads to tree disease, rot, insect infestations & more. Hansen's offers a solution to these problems for landowners of all sizes.
Forest Stand Improvement (a.k.a. Timber Stand Improvement or TSI)
Forest Stand Improvement (FSI) is a forest management technique used to stop the growth of unwanted trees from an area in order to improve forest stand composition, stimulating growth of the remaining desirable trees. The FSI practice can be used to increase the forest's value for timber products, recreation, wildlife, natural beauty, and specialty products.
How Trees are selected for FSI
- Undesirable Species with little wildlife or timber value
- Tree disease/health condition
- Overmaturity (dieback)
- Density (overcrowded)
Landowner Benefits
- Healthier woods (decreased population combined with healthier trees left behind)
- Increased wildlife population
- Increased value of remaining trees
- Increased wildlife habitat
- Tax benefits (certain management programs reduce taxes)
This process is essentially the same as FSI mentioned above, with main difference being that the undesirable wood product is removed from woods and harvested rather than left to decay on its own.
Advantages over FSI
- no debris or wood residue left on site
- Insurance those diseased/infested trees have been removed
- Clean understory for increased aesthetics
Edge Feathering
This method is used to create cover habitat for upland birds and small game such as quail, squirrel, and rabbit. Edge feathering creates a transition zone from the abrupt ending of the wood line into field. This is accomplished by felling trees and brush in small pockets at set intervals along a treeline. Before Edge Feathering After edge Feathering
Timber Marking and Timber sales
In cases where forests are overly mature, the best way to improve the stand is to remove the mature timber. This means having the timber volume estimated, marked, and sold to a logger or timber buyer for removal from the forest. Thus opening up gaps in the canopy for light to reach the forest floor and promote new growth for generations to come. By offering timber marking and timber sale brokerage services, the staff of Arborists and Foresters here at Hansen's can ensure that your timber is harvested ethically and remains sustainable for generations to come.
Always Have a Plan!
Hansen's strongly advises against contracting any forestry work without having a forest management plan in place first. It is imperative that a landowner know what goals they would like to achieve before any work is done in the woods. This ensures that any work done will be sustainable, and environmentally responsible.
A sound forest management plan consists of:
- Measurement of species types, sizes, abundance, and health
- Well defined management goal
- Description of each site within forest
- Recommendations of management techniques along with timeline on which to implement them
