Timber Harvesting

The Open Journal of Forestry published an article last week that examines some of the effects that whole-tree harvesting has on northern hardwood forests.

A Logging Life – Planning, Purpose and Pride

In New Hampshire, forests cover 4.8 million acres. That's 84 percent of the state, as anyone who has flown over it can attest. Northern hardwoods - beech, birch and maple - make up more than 53 percent of statewide forest cover.

Loaded logging trucks: We see them all the time on New Hampshire’s roads and highways. Have you ever wondered where all those logs are headed?

Forwarder in action sustainable forestry in New Hampshire
A machine called a "forwarder" in action on Blaine Forest in Jaffrey, NH.

By their nature, and by the nature of their work, foresters oftimes spend their days alone and in the woods.  That’s not a problem; foresters like wandering and either talking to themselves or to the trees.  There isn’t much need of a loud voice unless some absent-minded bear lopes by or they’re …

An upset caller told me recently that we had “destroyed” a particular piece of forest. Statements like this aren’t easy to hear, but they are opportunities to try to clear up some misunderstandings about forestry.  

Change isn’t always pretty. Maybe I should say new change in the woods is …

In the early days of my forestry career it was called Multiple Use Management (MUM).  I’m not sure what it’s called these days, because I never left MUM behind.  It’s what we do at the Forest Society; we try to figure out what the resources are that can be managed for and then develop a plan …