A Landowner's Guide to Selling Standing Timber - the Ontario ...

A LANDOWNER’S GUIDE TO SELLING STANDING TIMBERSection 4Preparing for HarvestA successful forest harvest starts with choosing the trees thatwill be sold. A forest consultant may help with this task.Marking property boundaries, marketing your product, andlocating log landings and trails are other essential jobs thatshould be carried out during the planning stages.are harvested. This results in a depleted and degradedwoodlot, containing defective trees and species of lower value.As you plan your logging operation, you should be aware thatmost woodlands have been high-graded in the past.You should be aware that most woodlands have beenhigh-graded in the pastSECTION 4Tree Cutting BylawsBefore you begin, contact your municipal office todetermine whether there are any tree cutting bylaws thatyou should be aware of. Such bylaws may:sssA successful forest harvest starts withchoosing the trees that will be soldSet out the size of trees which can be legallyharvested, establish minimum basal area requirements,and will require that your woodland be harvestedaccording to good forestry practices;Require you to notify the county or region when youintend to harvest;Require information on which trees will be removed orleft, and some stocking or density measurements.Poor Logging PracticesIn municipalities where no tree-cutting bylaw exists, much ofthe logging is done by high-grading; only the best-quality treesDiameter limit cutting is a form of high-grading where alltrees, to a specified diameter limit, are removed. This oftenresults in overcutting. Diameter limit cutting can severelyimpede the ability of the forest to produce high-valueproducts and revenue in the future. Unfortunately, landownersthat sell to loggers who use this system usually have notmarketed their products and rarely receive fair market value.Tree Marking for Selective HarvestA tree marking prescription needs to be developed – onethat is based on a complete inventory. A good prescriptionwill ensure the sustainability and health of your woodlot. Aprescription should consider:ssThe quality of the tree. As much unacceptable growingstock (in all size classes) as possible should be removedto allow growing space for better-quality trees.Maturity of the tree. If your woodland is comprised ofmostly large, mature trees, it may take two or threeharvest cycles before all mature trees can be removed.13