Preparing for the Future of Forestry Now

Planning ahead for anything is always a good idea, but in the case of land management, specifically timber, it’s a necessity.

Quality timber management can produce a great return, but poor planning will lead to a greater loss than you might expect.

The following is a sample of an article published online from the Progressive Farmer.

Trees For Tomorrow
by Deborah R. Huso

Mark Nussbaum manages 450 acres of trees to produce better harvests today and for future generations.Mark Nussbaum knows a lot about what makes for healthy trees. He’s been managing his family’s 610-acre farm near Burfordville, Mo., for 20 years, and he has about 450 of those acres planted in timber.“Our soil types are not conducive to modern agricultural farming,” Nussbaum explains, “so we felt growing timber was a better fit than growing row crops.”

As a civil engineer with the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, Nussbaum says he has a lot of day job interactions with foresters, which has helped him develop a management plan for the family farm that ensures sustainable harvests. Nussbaum was the 2009 Missouri Tree Farmer of the Year and was, in 2013, the board president for the Forest and Woodland Association of Missouri.

MANAGEMENT STANDS. To make sure the farm can produce timber income every year and well into the future, Nussbaum subdivided the land into 15 management stands with the idea of harvesting the stands on a 15-year rotation. Currently, Nussbaum harvests about 30 acres of timber annually.

“Our goal is to have better quality timber,” He says, noting that he’s focused on raising furniture grade hardwood. The plantings on the Nussbaum farm consist of red and white oaks, black cherry, black walnut, tulip poplar and short-leafed pine in the poorest soil areas.

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