Sustainable Forestry

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Why do we cut trees on some of our properties?

Many of our Nature Preserves are very sensitive habitats where forest management is not allowed and would be detrimental to our goals for protecting the land and habitats. These types of properties include sensitive wetland habitats and pristine habitat where the negative impacts of active management outweigh the potential benefits. However, a few of our preserves offer unique opportunities to improve the natural diversity of the forest, support the local economy through jobs and forest products, and to provide income to GTRLC that is used to care for these lands or to do additional land protection in the area.

Each property that GTRLC owns has a management plan that inventories the natural features and considers the potential impacts and benefits of any management activity. In addition to considering the appropriateness for trails, parking lots and similar recreational opportunities, each property is evaluated on a case-by-case basis for forest management opportunities.

Any forest management that occurs on our land considers impacts to wildlife and includes precautions to prevent damage to soil and understory vegetation as well as preventing the spread of invasive species. Our plans include monitoring and adaptive management to ensure that we achieve our goals for the protection of the forest.

Below are benefits of forest management on land owned by GTRLC:

Ecological Restoration – The forest management on our nature preserves is done with the goal of ecological restoration. We consider the current condition of the forest and what the ideal condition of the forest would be. Often, we are dealing with hardwood stands that lack a natural diversity of species, tree sizes, or structure because of previous land use or logging. We also have some pine stands on our land that were planted in rows. We manage with the goal of speeding up the natural processes of the forest, harvesting less than is grown, and re-establishing species that are missing or less common than they should be. The end result is a healthier forest ecosystem and improvement of all aspects of the forest including soil, flora, seedling regeneration, and wildlife.

Local Products and Jobs – We all use paper and wood products or the fuel that it produces. There is no better way to provide these materials to our communities than to produce them locally, in a way that is compatible with conservation goals, and uses the best information and methods available. Local products mean local jobs and lower transportation costs and less use of fossil fuels. It’s the same concept as buying local food – sustainability (ecological, social, and economic) starts by preserving, conserving, and consuming at the local level.

Income – Some of the forest management we do is necessary and costs us money, yet many of our harvests provide income to the Conservancy in addition to the foresters, loggers, and truckers who assist us. Income from these harvests offsets the other costs associated with forest stewardship such as long-term data collection, monitoring, and invasive species management. It also funds educational signs related to forestry, can be used to build endowments to sustain our work into the future, or used for other land stewardship of land protection work.

The following Conservancy owned properties have an active Sustainable Forestry Program: