What You Need To Know Before Clear Cutting The Timber From Your Land
Timber harvesting is an excellent option when clearing a plot of land to build on. However, how the timber harvesting occurs can impact the land if improperly managed.
Planning Your Tree Harvest
Before any timber harvesting starts on your land, it is essential to have a timber contractor walk the property and determine what trees you can remove safely and without causing water or erosion issues to the plot. In some situations, you may need to remove some trees that could have a negative impact, so adding retaining walls, structures to add strength to the soil, or erosion cloth is necessary. Changing the landscape to compensate for the changes can also help, and sometimes just adding a creek bed to the landscaping to direct the water where you want it can look great and benefit the land.
A responsible timber harvesting company will work with you to determine what they can remove and tell you if taking specific trees will result in issues. Selective cutting is critical, and if you clear-cut the land, the long-term effects may not be seen for years but need consideration at the time of timber harvesting.
Taking the time to plan your timber harvest is essential, and if you do it right, you can construct a home or commercial building around the trees and landscape. Marking the trees that are unhealthy and the ones that hold value and are safe to remove is the best place to start. If more need removing to make room for your building, you can look at the best way to do that with a landscape designer or an engineer.
Issues To Consider
Trees play a significant role in erosion resistance, and the root structure can help hold the soil together on hillsides and areas where a lot of runoff occurs. When considering timber harvesting on land with hills and slopes or areas with rivers, streams, or creeks, you may need to address water management and employ soil erosion prevention tactics to help reduce landslides or severe water problems before cutting the trees.
Reducing the trees on the property will also reduce the shade, so the entire ecosystem on the property can change. Responsible timber harvest companies realize the impact the process can have on the land and will work with you to ensure they address potential problems. Often something as simple as replanting a higher number of saplings than you cut can offset the issue and create new growth to help prevent issues.
The timber harvesting company can take the valuable trees, you get the space you need for construction, and the new trees will start to grow and safeguard the land. Timber harvesting using this method is becoming more common and is an excellent way to ensure there is a new crop of trees to cut again in twenty or thirty years.
Call a timber harvesting company for more help.