A private woodlot management guide

Abstract

This report deals with the development of a private woodlot management guide for woodlot owners. In this report, the forests of New Brunswick are considered in terms of the resource, present forest management and the future trends of the forest industry. This overview of New Brunswick's forests is meant to show the need for the proposed management guide. The development of the guide depends upon nine management planning considerations. These considerations are: 1. The composition of the woodlot 2. Owner's objectives 3. Woodlot description 4. Woodlot maintenance 5. Regeneration methods 6. Implication of regeneration methods 7. Harvesting 8. Planning schedules and budgets 9. Help available These nine considerations were used to develop a series of forms that ask for pertinent management information from the woodlot owner, and allows him to develop a management plan for his woodlot. This guide is then tested on an actual woodlot to evaluate its effectiveness in practice. From the testing of this guide to an actual case, it is found that considering timber management alone is not applicable to all woodlots. It was also found that some forest management treatments will require help from qualified technicians or foresters. The test also shows that this guide provides financial information that is important to the planning process.