I’ve Got a Plan—Now What?

After you’ve developed your forest management plan, the next step is to implement it.

You’ll do that through the recommended activities outlined in your plan. Your unique timetable of prescribed activities—which may include timber harvests, tree planting, prescribed burns, and other tasks—is designed specifically to achieve your goals and objectives.

As you complete these activities and achieve your objectives, add this information to your plan. You can include receipts, copies of permits and other documentation of your forest management activities, along with photos or notes on the process.

As time passes, your goals and objectives may change. That’s why it’s important to regularly review and update your plan.  Reviewing your plan can be as simple as taking time each year to walk through your woods, look around, and answer these basic questions:

• Are my trees healthy?
• Is my forest progressing as I hoped?
• Have freezes, floods or other natural disasters affected my property?
• Has my family experienced a major change, such as an illness or financial loss, that may increase our need for income from our woods?
• Are there management activities—such as prescribed burns or thinning—that I’ve done or would like to do?

By keeping an up-to-date plan that reflects your needs and goals, you’ll be ready to seize new opportunities and reap the greatest possible rewards from managing your woods.