Small Woodlot Management

By David L. Israel
Published on February 1, 1995
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There's much you can do to add diversity and productivity to even the most modest of woodlots.
There's much you can do to add diversity and productivity to even the most modest of woodlots.
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Recent studies have suggested that wildfires are indispensible to the survival of some tree species.
Recent studies have suggested that wildfires are indispensible to the survival of some tree species.

Many people hesitate to do anything to their woods, either due to a lack of time or knowledge, or because they fear tampering with a delicate ecosystem and its wildlife. Many make the assumption that all human intervention in the environment is detrimental. It isn’t. Careless clear-cutting and other drastic methods notwithstanding, there’s much you can do to add both vigor and productivity to your woodland. But any kind of woodland management is a trade-off. Anything you do to your woods, even leaving it alone, will be beneficial to some wildlife and detrimental to others. As a steward of your woodland, you have to decide which plants and animals you wish to favor and manage for them.

Thoughtfully planned, proper management of your woodland can improve aesthetics, increase income, and improve both game and nongame wildlife potential.

Nature’s Timber Management

Let’s start with the basics. To efficiently manage our woodlots, we must understand the methods used by nature throughout the ages to shape them.

Forests usually begin as brush and sun-loving tree seedlings that take over grasslands or recently disturbed sites. As these first seedling trees grow and mature, they shade the ground and effectively shade out sun-loving plants below them, including their own seedlings. Shade tolerant species will then grow up through these and gradually take over. Since these tree species can reproduce in shade, they can continue to grow until the next catastrophic disturbance allows sunlight to reach the forest floor, causing the process to start again.

This progression of dominant tree species is known as succession. Six stages of succession are noted:

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