Best Management Practices (BMPs) are actions you can take to protect the health of your forest before, during, and after management activities. They may benefit individual forest stands, several properties, or an entire watershed. Some BMPs are multipurpose. For example, strips of forest called riparian buffers can be left along streams to prevent soil from eroding and washing into the neighboring stream. They maintain cool water temperatures, provide wildlife travel corridors, and add habitat diversity.

BMPs provide the basics—minimal acceptable standards—of good forest management, although some landowners may choose to do more. However, not every BMP is appropriate for every property. The BMPs you select when beginning any activities on your property will be a unique combination of practices suited to the needs of your property. By walking your property and identifying such things as sensitive areas around water bodies and streams, soil types, areas of steep slopes, unique natural areas, and important wildlife habitats, you will get an idea of what issues need to be addressed before you undertake forestry practices that might disturb the soil. By becoming familiar with the BMPs and using them as a guideline for both short-term and long-term forest management activities, you can become a good forest steward, contributing to a brighter future for northeast forests.

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