VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6
Forest Management
March, 2014
Rural Entrepreneurship &
Business Development Update
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, LIFE AND NATURAL SCIENCES
What is Forest Management
If you were to ask a forester to define forest management, he/she would probably tell
you something to this degree: “Forest management is the application of appropriate
technical forestry principles, practices, and business techniques (e.g. accounting,
cost/benefit analysis, etc.) to the management of a forest to achieve the owner’s
objectives.” Stated more simply, forest management is providing a forest the proper
care so that it remains healthy and vigorous and provides the products and the
amenities the landowner desires. Forest management is not so much a subject or a
science as it is a process. Think of it as the development and execution of a plan
integrating all of the principles, practices, and techniques necessary to care properly for
the forest.
The Planning Process
The planning process includes careful identification of landowner objectives, inventory
of resources, development and implementation of the management strategy to be used,
and periodic re-evaluation of the implemented strategy.
Identify Landowner Objectives
The first step that any landowner or farmer must take in developing a management plan
is to identify landowner objectives and what products and amenities does the
landowner wish to obtain from the land. It is very important that these objectives be
identified at the beginning because they determine what resources should be
inventoried and define the goal of the management plan.
These are some examples that can be used for Forest Landowner Objectives
Source of Income
Soil Stabilization
Preservation
Speculation
Security
Recreation
Exercise/Hobby
Tax Shelter
Aesthetics
Pride & Self-Satisfaction
Inheritance
Wildlife Habitat
Increase Species Diversity
Some landowners may be interested in emphasizing only one management objective.
They might, for example, be interested in maximizing the net financial return on
investment through timber yield, or they might wish to develop the forest primarily as
wildlife habitat. Management such as this, which emphasizes a single resource
objective, is called dominant-use management.
Most forest landowners, however, are interested in obtaining more than one product or amenity from their forests.
They might for example, desire income from timber harvest, wildlife habitat enhancement, and the maintenance of
aesthetic quality. Forest management designed to enhance or producer more than one product or amenity is called
multiple-use management. It is important to note that multiple-use management does not require that every acre of the
forest be managed for every desired product or amenity, but rather that the forest as a whole be managed in such a way
that it yields the desired mix. In the example given previously, some areas might be managed primarily for time with
aesthetic considerations,
while on other acres specific practices are undertaken to enhance wildlife
habitat.
Forestry Planning
Process
Small Farms Research Center, Alabama A&M University
4900 Meridian Street
James I. Dawson Building, Room 219
Normal, AL
35762
Small Farms Research Center Background. The Small Farms Research Center was developed to assist small farmers with limited resources in Alabama’s underserved communities. The center was first
developed in 2000 to assist minorities, especially women, African
Americans and underserved individuals improve their farm management practices, given ones condition and resources. The mission of
the Center and the Small Farmers Outreach program is to assist all
small and limited resources farms effectively deal with risk management and food safety issues and provide them with informational sessions. The Center has also expanded its outreach efforts to meet the
needs of entrepreneurs and businessman. The center is located at Alabama A&M University in the Dawson Building. The center specializes
in following areas
Marketing and Business Plans
-Record keeping and Loan Application
-Identify alternative enterprises
-Personal Management
-Legal Issues
-Finances
-International Business and Procurement
-Accounting Issues
-Taxes
-Business Development
-Conducting seminars on Government programs and other issues
For more information about us give us a call at (256) 372-4970 and
1-866-858-4970.
Website: www.aamu.edu/smallfarmers