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Forestry
 
  A timber sale can have long-lasting impacts on a landowner’s property and his or her finances. How a landowner harvests and sells their timber may well be some of the most important managament decisions they make for their property. Are you ready to conduct a timber sale?A timber sale needs to be done right. That’s why forestandrange.org developed a new learning module to help you with every step of the proccess. You’ll learn from Extension Foresters how to prepare for a sale, how to work with a consulting forester to get the best price possible for your timber, and how to handle a timber contract to protect your interests.

 

to the Southern Pine Management module. The impact that pine plantations have on forestry in the southeast is hard not to notice. In 1999 alone, there were over 63 million acres of planted and natural yellow pine in the 13 southeastern states. Small private landowners manage much of this resource for specific markets and products. If you are interested in learning how to better manage your southern pine forest, this module is for you.

 

Rangeland management can be enhanced through an understanding of watershed function and its relationship to rangeland condition at the scale of a watershed down to the scale of a ranch. The focus of this learning module will be to provide a tool for educating landowners and managers on rangeland watersheds and their function, how management actions influence water availability in the landscape, and how landowners can contribute to watershed protection. Users who complete this module should then have tools to improve water management in their range operations.
 

Careful attention to precipitation patterns, soil moisture conditions, and plant stress levels can provide insight into drought conditions. Proactive planning can prepare rangeland managers to better handle the damaging effects of drought when it occurs. The focus of this learning module is how landowners can prepare for drought, weather drought conditions, and can best manage lands to recover from drought.

  The purpose of this module is to actively involve landowners and forestry professionals in quantitatively assessing the sustainability of their forest stands. We will introduce you to the forest measurement tools that are needed, show you how to use them, and how to record the data you have collected. You will enter your data in an electronic scorecard and see how your forest stand compares to national averages.
  These six learning modules provide you with the information and skills you need to convert your wood products to energy--from incorporating a woody biomass harvesting plan into your management plan, to the economics of woody biomass. Together the learning modules provide a comprehensive background on the production of bioenergy and bio-based products from woody biomass in the southern United States.
  This web-based learning module has been designed to provide a brief and concise explanation of forest certification. There are several benefits of forest certification and there are several types of certification systems available. These benefits will be covered briefly, as will the types of certification systems.
  Developing recreational opportunities can be rewarding for both you and your family, but it can also be challenging. This learning module will provide an overview of what private landowners can do to plan for developing recreation opportunities and can be used as a tool to help you begin planning.
  This online learning module will teach you the basic principles of taking an inventory of your forest.  This module includes ten lessons with video clips, diagrams, and exercises to help you get started. Through the course of these lessons, you will learn how to identify individual stands on your property, the basics of plot sampling, how to establish an inventory plot, and how to measure individual trees. You will then learn how to work with your inventory data in a computer program called the Landscape Management System (LMS).
  Here you will increase your awareness of the importance of estate planning, better understand estate planning principles, concepts, and tools. This decision tree will help you decide if a conservation easement is appropriate for you.
  Here you will increase your awareness and knowledge of forest ecosystems and management so that you will be better prepared to work with a natural resource professional in developing a forest stewardship plan.
  Here you will become familiar with a variety of specific forest farming practices and be able to decide if they are suitable for your own site conditions and management objectives. You will understand methods and techniques for establishing, managing, and monitoring American ginseng, goldenseal, and at least three edible mushroom varieties.
  Here you will gain knowledge that will help you to cope with the aftermath of future wildfires. While every situation is unique, the guidance provided in these materials will assist you in meeting the challenges that every landowner faces After Wildfire.
What does your forest mean to you and your family? .a place to relax, income, a place to retire, recreation, a sense of connection to history?..What do you want from your forest in the future? The Story of the Forest allows you to actively participate in an interactive lesson about one family's story. You will be asked to help choose an ending for the story to complete the lesson and you will have a place to start for making a plan for your forest resources.
  This module is intended for typical landowners that may be considering a timber harvest on their property. You will be introduced to several forest harvesting practicesand the purpose of this module is to describe the benefits and drawbacks of these harvesting practices and allow you to investigate the types of trees which are cut in each. This may help you to understand the harvest type which might be most appropriate for your property, and to identify harvesting practices which are not in the best interest of the forest.
Windbreaks are a primary forest resource in the Great Plain States. This explains how windbreaks function and what benefits they can provide. Landowners can learn how to plan and install a windbreak or how to rennovate an existing one.
  As a landowner you must make informed decisions affecting your forest. The Landowner Fact Sheets catalog the most common trees in the US so that you can search for a tree that both fits your site and exhibits the qualities that you desire. Also, these Fact Sheets note which harvesting and growing methods are good for your selected tree.
      Maintaining the profitability of forested land can be a challenge, but understanding economic principals can help you to make informed management decisions. With the help of easy-to use tools, you don't have to be a math whiz complete the activities in this module. Best of all, you learn how to apply economic concepts to your specific situation.
  Do you feel like you are on shaky ground when it comes to making choices about how to manage wetlands on your property? This module can help you navigate the challenges of wetland management. You will learn about the ecological functions of wetlands, the laws and policies that protect wetlands, and how use you can benefit from actively managing the wetlands on your property.