Timber Harvesting

Forest landowners may consider harvesting their property for various reasons. The woods they know and love often provide them with many benefits, including privacy, aesthetics, recreation, wildlife habitat, water quality and many more. The benefits that the woods provide also support and enhance our communities and society. The clean water that forests provide and protect are for all of us – not just the landowners.

Owning forest land may mean having a timber harvest from time to time. There are many reasons that a landowner may choose to do this. Outcomes from a timber harvest may vary greatly, but there are several resources available so the landowner’s goals and objectives are met while the ensuring that the forest continues to provide its ecosystem services into the future. This is especially important for watershed forests – like the forests in the Skaneateles Lake Watershed. Protecting water quality in the lake is essential, and decisions about how and when to conduct a timber harvest matter.

NYS DEC Resources

Because forests provide benefits to society as a whole, good stewardship of your forest resource is critical. The NYS DEC has many resources available to private landowners to help ensure that landowner goals and objectives are met, while forests continue to provide services to the community as a whole. DEC’s Timber Harvesting and Stewardship of Forest Land page has information on permit requirements, responsible forest management, and timber harvesting as a tool.

DEC Service Foresters are available to you free of charge (your taxes at work!). They will visit your woodlot and write a stewardship plan that includes your goals and objectives. The Stewardship Plan is an important tool to help move forward and keep a focus on what matters most to you about your woods. More information about stewardship plans are available on the NYS DEC’s website under Private Forest Management.

In some cases, it may be necessary to obtain a permit before having a timber harvest in NYS. You should always contact your local DEC office and the Town Clerk to find out what is required. Click here for information on DEC regional offices.

ForestConnect

Cornell ForestConnect is website that connects woodland owners with knowledge. This website is a portal of information maintained by Cornell State Forestry Specialist Peter Smallidge. It is a wealth of webinars, articles, and links to help inform private woodland owners about their resource.

Woodland owners can post questions to the ForestConnect Forum, and it will be answered by a forestry professional. This is a moderated, interactive resource.

MFO Program

The Cornell Master Forest Owner volunteer (MFO) program provides private woodland owners of New York State with the information and encouragement necessary to manage their woodlands wisely. When landowners request a visit, the MFO program matches interests with trained volunteer woodland owners for a free informational visit and woods walk. The MFO volunteer will answer questions and provide resources to help landowners take the right next steps to achieve their goals and objectives. MFO volunteers are a knowledgeable but non-technical resource.