Timber

Wildlife habitat and timber stand improvement adds value to your land both monetarily and spiritually.

If you’re counting on the Game Commission and the Forestry Department to provide wild game to see and hunt, you shouldn’t be. The PGC is an undermanned, bureaucratic quasi-government organization whose ineptitude has squandered the opportunity to have one of the greatest deer hunting states in the country. The DCNR has one goal – grow trees for income. They would rather have no deer in the state as it would make this goal easier and cheaper.

As a private landowner, on the other hand, you have the ability to implement a strategy that will improve the attractiveness of your land so much, that wildlife will leave the poor habitat of public land and want to live on your property.

Everyone knows that deer sightings are way down on public land. So why are there still deer being killed on the road, seemingly at the the usual, historic levels? The reason is that what is left of the previously burgeoning population of deer are now concentrated on the best habitat instead of being forced to occupy marginal and poor habitat because of overpopulation. A half century of severe overpopulation made marginal habitat even worse through over-browsing of food species. The only thing keeping the high deer populations alive was farming.

Deer, Turkey and other wildlife populations do not have to be low on your land. If you have the best food, cover and solitude in the area – what deer live around there will call your place home. If other landowners are working on their land to improve habitat such as food plot installations, then you need to have better food and something else that is even more important – cover and bedding areas for deer and roosting, nesting and feeding cover for turkeys.

As a habitat and real estate expert, I will teach you strategies and methods to make your land more attractive to wildlife as well as people. This is important to the overall value of the land. Think about it, if you were a land buyer, would you pay more for a piece of land that has valuable growing timber, abundant wildlife and aesthetic beauty?

I promised you five ways to improve your property – here’s 7

1. installation and maintenance of quality food plots

2. creating and maintaining quality bedding areas for deer

3. performing TSI, timber stand improvement to increase growth of high value trees

4. make sure the land has good access and trail network

5. plant native brush and grass for forage, escape cover and nesting that have been eradicated from the forest through neglect and get rid of invasives through proper herbicide and cultural treatments

6. make the land more huntable by designing habitat features together with hunting stands that allow a hunter to see more game

7. produce income to help with all of the above with properly performed timber sales and government programs

If you would like to meet and go over your property to see how I can help you improve your land, call me for an appointment. An initial consultation only costs $150 plus $.50 per mile for travel. If you want to go further after our initial inspection we can discuss what your want me to do and what you can accomplish yourself. Either way, you will come away with knowledge and ideas that are well worth the price.

I am devoted to helping my clients succeed in improving their land so that they can much more enjoyable times afield.