Mississippi Landscape Management Plan

Basics of Forest Management Planning

Mississippi Landscape Management Plan

Basics of Forest Management Planning

A Forester’s Guide to Assisting Landowners

Forest management plans are complicated and tend to consume lots of time. Landowners then question your fees and sometimes refuse to pay for the time and effort you put into a good plan. This Mississippi Landscape Management Plan (MS LMP) gives you an easier, lower-cost alternative method to plan writing. It frees up your time, so you can focus on meeting with your landowner, collecting on-site information, and developing Maps and Stand Management Recommendations and a 10-year Schedule of Forest Activities.

Whether you are writing a new plan or updating an existing plan, you may find the MS LMP valuable. You can choose which parts of the plan to use. MS LMP use is voluntary, and you or your landowner may opt out at any time.

Landowners will benefit from your friendship and advice. This starts with a Plan and continues with your follow-up work. You are the key to their success in reaching management goals. You are especially valuable to landowners wanting to qualify as Certified Tree Farmers.

How do Landowners find you and What do they need?

Most landowners seek referrals from people and organizations they trust. Hopefully, your name is available through one or more of the following trusted websites.

MS Board of Registration for Foresters (BORF) – Registered & Consulting Foresters

Mississippi Forestry Commission – Agency Service Foresters

Society of American Foresters – Certified Foresters

Mississippi Association of Consulting Foresters – ACF Members

Mississippi Forestry Association – Qualified Tree Farm Inspectors

MS Wildlife Fisheries and Parks – Wildlife Biologists

Landowners depend on you to provide consultation and advice. They will also need you to document and retain records of forest management activities. Your records ensure accomplishment of objectives and are valuable for Tree Farm Certification, taxes, loans, and heirs.

Consultation includes providing referrals to other professionals in specialized areas of contract law, taxes, estate planning, and other relevant laws, regulations, and ordinances. You can also help manage and monitor vendors and contractors performing silvicultural management activities. Forestry Vendors – Mississippi Forestry Commission (ms.gov) has a brief listing of forestry related service providers for tree planting, herbicide applications, site preparation, and prescribed fire. You can ensure these contractors follow all relevant laws and regulations with special emphasis on MS Forestry Best Management Practices.

Referrals to Wildlife Biologists at the MS Wildlife, Fisheries, & Parks (mdwfp.com) may be needed to manage game populations and improve habitat or set up a prescribed fire program. If business income from hunting or fishing enterprises is important, then Natural Resource Enterprises (msstate.edu) is a great place to start The National Timber Tax website has excellent tax information and can guide your client on setting up a business structure.

What fees can Foresters charge?

As a reminder, foresters do not charge for ATFS Inspections for Tree Farm Certification. This includes an on-site inspection and filling out the inspection report.

But for any other forestry work not associated with inspections, you should charge for your time and effort. This includes time spent collecting information, interviewing landowners, and office work needed to produce a Forest Management Plan.

The fees you charge are negotiated between you and your landowner. A guide that may help in your negotiations is the 2013 Mississippi Consulting Forester Fees and Services. Alabama Cooperative Extension System / Auburn publishes average fees charged by foresters in the Southeastern US about every 2 years. Their most recent publication was Costs & Trends of Southern Forestry Practices 2022.

Step 1. Preparing to Meet the Landowner

    • Use Mapping your Property on this site. Visit Geodatabases as needed to locate and characterize the landowner’s property.

    • Develop location and soils maps.

    • Identify other important property characteristics (e.g., special sites, drainages and wetlands, health issues, and invasive species concerns).

    • Determine forest type(s) and acreage. Adjust these on-site as needed.

Step 2. Meeting the Landowner and On-Site Data Collection

    • Identifying Objectives:

      • Discuss Plan Objectives with the landowner to confirm their accuracy.

      • Probe each objective so that you clearly understand the underlying motivations and goals for the property. Prepare to pare down too many objectives and simplify difficult ones.

      • Review objectives in Management Objectives on this site and suggest those that your landowner may want to consider.

    • Review and discuss potential state-wide objectives that may affect management. These may include Invasive Species, Wetlands, Threatened and Endangered Species, Forests of Recognized Importance, and Special Sites. Certified Tree Farmers are required to consider all these, which sometimes require an adjustment to management.

    • Evaluate current forest and site conditions. Determine if the current forest type(s) match the desired future or target forest type(s).

    • Identify an actionable plan to meet landowner objectives, potential landscape objectives, and target forest type(s). This will include silvicultural treatment options. You may describe these or use those identified in the Management Objectives by forest type. Also note other activities that you discussed.

Step 3. After the Visit

    • Investigate and respond to any landowner questions left unanswered.

    • Request any additional information that you need to complete a plan.

    • Within a month assemble a forest management plan including a Stand Map, Stand Management Recommendations and a 10-year schedule of activities. If it takes longer than a month, remain in contact with your landowner and let them know your situation.

    • Offer to help your landowner implement their plan. Your effort may be a little or a lot, depending on circumstances. Landowners may ask you to provide periodic visits, implement activities in a plan, and adjust the plan as needed. Your follow-through ensures that the landowner follows the plan and achieves management goals.

    • You can also help Certified Tree Farmers periodically monitor their property. Your inspections help prove conformance to Standards. Tree Farm Inspectors will need to conduct a site visit and reinspection about every 5 years. Every 10 years your Tree Farmer will need an updated plan. That includes updated Maps including a Stand Management Map and Stand Management Recommendations. Updates can come earlier when objectives or timber situations change.