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Harvesting
Properly planned cutting of trees on your property cannot only earn you income today; it can also be good for the long-term value and health of your woodland. Partial harvesting - harvesting a selected portion of your trees while leaving a forest to grow and develop - often provides you the greatest management flexibility. The key is to pursue harvesting as part of your overall Management Plan. For example, you can enhance natural regeneration by leaving high-quality mature trees to seed new ones, and well-formed young trees to shelter the future stand as it grows. Many of the same tools used for woodscaping are also useful to improve your harvest and the future value of your land:

• Weeding out unwanted species from your young stands of trees
• Cleaning out diseased trees with little timber, wildlife or aesthetic value
• Thinning maturing crop trees to free the best trees to grow more
• Pruning to remove limbs and ensure straight, knot-free logs
• Creating small openings where new trees can seed in and grow

Harvesting Considerations
When it comes to the actual harvest of timber, you probably will want to work with both a consulting Forester and a professional logger. We strongly recommend that you hire a consulting Forester who will administer, plan, lay out and supervise the sale on your behalf. A Forester you hire is required by law to represent your interests. Ask your consulting Forester if there's a logger he or she can recommend. There are many issues to consider when hiring or selling trees to a logger; here are just the most important ones:

• make sure about safety
• ask about the logger's experience with your type of harvest
• ask the logger to provide several references and follow up with them and others familiar with the logger's work
• if possible, visit sites the logger has harvested recently
• insist on a written timber sale contract developed by your Forester that spells out all parties' expectations for the harvest. You may base your contract on the model available from the Maine Forest Service
• make sure the logger understands your objectives and is willing to implement them agree on a performance timetable

The economics of tree harvesting can be uncertain and complicated. Different species, sizes and quality levels yield widely varying prices. For some landowners, tax considerations play an important role. The [Tree Growth Tax Law] and the [Farm and Open Space Law], for example, can help woodland owners reduce their property tax bill. Ask your Forester or accountant to evaluate whether one of these programs is appropriate for your land.

It pays to be informed. Call the Maine Forest Service at 1 (800 367-0223 (in state only) or 1-207-287-2791 for help at any stage in the harvesting process.

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[Maine Forest Service, Department of Conservation]
22 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0022
Phone 207-287-2791   In State 1-800-367-0223   TTY 207-287-2213   Fax 207-287-8422

© 2003 Maine Forest Service. All rights reserved.