Farm and Forest Expo                                                                                        

Good Forestry in the Granite State

Public Listening Session

February 6, 2009

 

QUESTION: We’d like help getting the document and information distributed. What ideas do you have for us to help people know about the book and use it?

 

1. Copies to town offices
   1. Where people file intent to cut… /current use
2. On web **
   1. Maintain domain www.goodforestry.org
   2. Encourage links from other sites
3. Info to land trusts
   1. Center for Land Conservation Assistance
   2. Conservation Commissions/Planning Boards/Board of selectman
4. Distribute to feed stores/equipment supply stores
5. Announcements in
   1. County Extension Newsletters
   2. Coverts Volunteers newsletters
   3. NH Tree Farm
6. Need a continuing drumbeat to remind people the publication exists
7. On wetlands notifications
   1. For sample drawings/descriptions go to www.goodforestry.org
   2. Remind people about the references on the web site in the text of the book.
8. Suggest this version be heavier to graphics.
9. NHTOA, SPNHF, Conservation Commissions
10. Presentation to Governor w/photo opportunity.
    1. Press release distributed to papers
11. Information and order form booth at county fairs
12. Mechanism like “Welcome Wagon” to get this information to new landowners
13. To regional planning commissions
14. To realtors that specialize in larger tracts of land
15. New Tree Farmers
16. District Conservationists/FSA

 

QUESTION: What don’t you like about the first edition? What do you like? 

 

1. Rules, Regulations, Laws

2. information more available on the web so glad it will be there
3. Non-foresters (Conservation Commissions)

a.       Select board, land trusts, RPCs, water protection districts

b.      Build better understanding

c.       Better reviews

4. How to do timber sale? For landowners – add this information
5. List references if more information is desired on some topics
6. Like individual chapters/categories

a.       Easy to find what needed

7. Contradicting recommendations

a.       Not everyone reads the beginning

b.      Flag/repetition

8. Matrix showing conflicting recommendations
9. Missing peat lands
10. like the tabs
11. Like notebook configuration
12. PDFs by smallest unit

a.       Especially dialup

b.      Easier to update

13. Charts and figures easy to read

  

QUESTION: What do you want to know and understand about New Hampshire forests and forestry and do you have any special concerns?

 

1. Include sample working forest easement language to ensure that harvesting is not excluded in the future
2. Explanation of current use and timber tax
3. Prevention of introducing invasive plants and equipment cleaning between jobs
4. Contact information for landowner programs – EQIP, WHIP, etc.
5. Where will estate planning and easements be discussed?
6. Link to GRANIT DATA MAPPER
   1. How can landowners get soils info – soil data mark (NRCS)
7. How can a landowner make some money owning forest land?
8. How rules, regulations, and laws, (municipal, state & federal) may discourage private landowners from keeping their forest a working forest
9. That foresters and landowners and loggers understand the economic losses to indiscriminant logging (e.g. Small high quality growing stock vs. low quality suppressed trees) 

 

QUESTION: What do you think of the topics proposed in the new table of contents? Are we missing any? Should they all be included?

 

1. Add menu of timber operation

a.       Hired professional interest

b.      Steps to take to lay out a timber scale

·        permits needed

·        know the land, contacts, work orders, timber tally, bids or negotiations

·        professionals include foresters, get loggers, truckers

2. ID what’s different in NH forestry since 1997?

a.       Harvest methods, equipment, markets, value of woodland vs. other assets, quality of woods

3. New tools

a.       GPS, computers, GIS, communications, data loggers, access to information on web

4. Timber quality, forest health, harvest systems should go together
5. What are the markets

a.       Sawmills (portable), niche markets

6. Glossary – expand
7. Firewood issues
8. Timber tax laws – esp. threshold volumes

a.       Current use

b.      Fed. tax

9. Agro/forest tourism
10. Benefits of wilderness/ untouched forests
11. Info about cons. Easements – what they are and how to put property into easement
12. Recommendation that landowners walk woods with forester when for hired for inventory/ plan etc. spend as much time learning from professionals as you can

 

QUESTION: What would you like to tell us that we have not asked you?

 

1. See Susan Cox’s station
2. Recommend a what’s different about forestry in the granite state section since last

a.       New tools, etc.

3. more on current use
4. what to expect if a landowner creates an opening

a.       Woodcock and grouse habitat

·        Do openings encourage these birds?

·        If so, guidelines

 

 

Post Session Email Follow-Up

Comments submitted via email from a consulting forester.

  

1. It should start with why forests are important. 
   1. Discuss multiple-use and shared benefit to managing forest. 
2. Address sustainability and what does it really mean. 
   1. How often can a piece of land be harvested? 
3. How does our state compare to other regions of the country like the highest productive forest areas. 
4. What and where are the markets for forest products (see the how is it different comment.)
5. List steps involved in the process of selling timber would be great.   
   1. Explain why it is important to have timber cruised? 
   2. What is the process?  
   3. What is the difference between a cruise and a tally? 
   4. Why are they both of use? 
   5. Why is it important to have timber marked? 
   6. What is the difference between a by the unit versus a lump sum sale? 
   7. What does a contract contain? 
   8. What is an intent-to-cut?  When where and how is it filed?   
6. Describe the work getting wood from the stump to the landing and the landing to the mill.  
   1. Discuss skid road layout and timber sale planning. 
   2. What is a notification of minimum wetland impact for forestry activities? 
7. How does the money flow? 
   1. What is a report of cut? 
   2. What are the deadlines? 
   3. Who pays the timber tax? 
   4.  What is it based on?
   5. What are the tax burdens for selling timber?  
   6. How can they be treated?
8. Landowners want to know where the value of wood is derived.
9. Explain stumpage and the value added stages of the forest products. 
   1. A graphic with a log showing some percent of value going to landowner, some percent going to logger, to trucker would be helpful.  
   2. In an other graphic showing a board with handling, sawing, planing, kiln drying, packaging, brokering and retailing to show why a white pine board costs some much at the lumber yard versus its value on the stump.  
   3.  In yet another do the same with firewood -- And a roll  of paper 
10. A discussion of the expense of running equipment, insurance, fuel, and capital investment are all part of that value that landowners need to understand. 
    1. How different operations are more or less productive affects the value of a landowners forest products.
    2. Logging is a volume business which is under natural economic laws that reward those who move ever larger amounts of wood.
11. Different logging systems and their output
    1.  Discuss how things are different now than 10 years ago when the first publication came out.
    2. How have we learned from the proliferation of high output logging versus”old fashioned skidder and chainsaw operations." 
    3. Certainly a discussion of the new tools to come into use since the last book would be appropriate. 
12. I think the publication should be more a web site than a bound book. 
    1. It should be graphics rich.   Pictures take up space in a physical publication and are expensive but would be easier on the web. 
    2. Many of not most of the topics in the draft table of contents can be handled by web links and reference to other publications.

                                                               i.      Granit,  IRS timber tax methods of treatment, soils,   rare and endangered species, silviculture,  stocking charts and aesthetics to name a few.

13. There should be a good glossary.

   

To summarize:

• This publication does not have to be a rewrite of all of the known information about forestry out there. But this book should be a hub from which to communicate the changing landscape of forestry.  Expounding on all of the topics here in the proposed table of contents will produce a very thick book.
• Focus on what the practical issues are with doing forestry work.  This includes logging, road building, mowing, chemical application, and fire. 
• Summarize and web link many of the topics.  
• Most of the work in which we call forestry involves activities culminating with big yellow equipment in some form or another. That is why I would like to recommend focusing on the tools we have to deal [with] the meeting of the big machines with the trees.