Extension Forestry – Woodland Owners Update

Below is a letter from Natalie Woolard on the upcoming Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program enrollment.  To learn more about the CREP please visit: 

http://www.ncagr.gov/SWC/costshareprograms/CREP/index.html

_______________________

Good news! 

Beginning May 13, 2013, FSA county offices are authorized to accept new CREP enrollment.  I have attached the official notice from FSA.

Due to the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the CRP authority only extends until September 30, 2013.  Hopefully, a longer term enrollment period will be approved with a new Farm Bill.  Due to the potential of this short enrollment period, it is imperative to be proactive and contact those landowners that are interested and have been waiting for the enrollment period to open.

If you need any assistance or have questions please do not hesitate to contact me or your CREP Specialist. 

Thank you for all of your support of CREP!

Natalie Woolard, Chief

Technical Services Section

Division of Soil and Water Conservation

Office: 252-948-3902

Fax: 252-975-3716

www.ncagr.gov/sw

Visit the price report section of Extension Forestry’s website for up to date price information.  The link to the 1st quarter price report from Forest2Market is http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/price/forest2market/f2m1q13.pdf

A new Woodland Owner Note has just been released that provides a simple method for calculating financial maturity of your timber.  

Cutting at Financial Maturity: Maximizing the economic return of your woodland

“Woodland owners harvest trees for financial and personal reasons. Deciding when is the optimal time to harvest is difficult for most woodland owners. However, this important decision strongly dictates future condition, growth, and composition of the next stand of trees and, ultimately, your bottom line. Some basic economic principles can help you make harvesting and other key woodland management decisions. Using loblolly pine in North Carolina as an example, this publication demonstrate the optimal time to harvest based on financial maturity.”

Checkout this free webinar at forestrywebinars.net

Mar 27, 2013 12:00 pm US/Eastern

Length: 01:00 (hh:mm)

This webinar will discuss the adaptive silvicultural planning process to guide forest managers through the process of incorporating climate change into natural resource management. Case studies and a science-management partnership will be highlighted.

Presented by:  Linda Nagel, PhD., Associate Professor of Silviculture, Michigan Technological University

Continuing Education Credits:

• Society of American Foresters – 1 hour Category 1 Credit
• The Wildlife Society – 1 hour TWS Category 1 Credit

The publications are

• Healthy Forests: Invasive Plants and Your forests (AG-771) http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/ag/ag771.pdf

• Healthy Forests: Managing for Resilience (AG-772) http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/ag/ag772.pdf

A recent request from David B. Baker, Director, NC DOR Local Government Division urges county tax assessors offices to allow a little leeway in harvest schedules landowners include in forest management plans.  This allows landowners to wait until markets return in order to maximize the return of their investment rather than simply harvesting because their management plan specifies it.  Good news that buys a little time for landowners wanting to get the most out of their timber investment!!  See the full document  at the link:   FMP and Delayed Cutting Memorandum 2013

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the newest member of North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) Forestry Extension staff. I join NCSU after recently moving from Clemson, SC where I received my M.S. in Forest Resources from Clemson University, and assisted in longleaf restoration research as a Biological Technician with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station. Full story click here

What is Master Tree Farmer Program?

The Master Tree Farmer Program is an intensive educational program designed to introduce landowners to many of the topics associated with forest management. The programs are not designed to make landowners into foresters, but to acquaint landowners with forestry terms and concepts so they can effectively converse with foresters about the management of their property. We have documented that landowners are more willing to see forestry practiced on their land when they understand why things are done. Continue reading →

A new publication on some basics of woodland management directed for farmers is available from WoodWorks and Cooperative Development Services.  Click on the link: woodland_mgnt_guide to download a copy of A Farmer’s Guide to Woodland Management: 10 Tips for Woodlot Profits and Enjoyment. 

A Short Guide to Modern Mapping Systems for Managing Woodlands

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a powerful mapping system many professional foresters use to maintain clients’ management portfolios. Woodland owners can make use of the record-keeping, map-creation, and management-planning capabilities using this system. Woodland map information stored in digital format allows for easy retrieval, updates, and map printouts. This guide explains: 1) the basics of computerized mapping systems like GIS and 2) the benefits GIS can provide woodland owners.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/WON/won60.pdf

Testing the Waters: Helpful Online Mapping Applications for Woodland Owners 

This publication describes three free tools available to woodland owners eager to explore their property using modern Web-based mapping. These tools are Google Earth, county interactive GIS websites, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/WON/won61.pdf