The following information will help you as a woodland owner better advise foresters and loggers of your objectives and how you want those objectives met, better evaluate harvest quality, and help you feel more comfortable with harvesting. Harvesting is always muddy, ugly, and chaotic at first, but this is temporary. The woods can be just as beautiful after harvesting. The woods can have just as much wildlife habitat after harvesting. The woods can provide just as much recreation after harvesting. If harvesting does not live up to these statements, it is of poor quality. Poor quality harvesting leads to more regulations, less respect of private landowners, less respect of forestry, and less respect of loggers. Poor quality harvesting may be cheaper in the short run, but not in the long run. Do right to keep your rights! I hope the following guidelines help ensure a quality job on your woodland.

Choosing a Logger / Landowner Liability / Timber Sales Contract / Woods Roads / Skid Trails / Landings / Felling

• Correct equipment and workers for your job
• Can do job when and how you want it done
• Fair price
• Good reputation
• Financially stable: able to give a deposit or performance bond
• Ask for references and visit past jobs
• Look for and reward quality work
• Insured for general liability and worker's compensation (see below)
• See "Why a Forester?" page

Be sure, please be sure, that the logging contractor you are hiring has workers' compensation insurance for all of their employees. Ask to see a current certificate of insurance from the logger. If the contractor does not, you are liable for injuries that occur while working on your woodland. An alternative is to get a written agreement from the logging contractor to reimburse you for any workers' compensation claims.

If the contractor does not hire employees, you as a woodland owner, should be shown a certificate of State approval of the contractor's independent status. As long as the contractor and the contractor's employees are certified as independent, you are not liable.

If a woodland owner does pay any compensation for injuries, the owner is entitled to be indemnified by the contractor and may try to recover the amount paid in a legal action against the logging contractor.

(Field 1994)

Timber Sales Contract: This is a contract between the owner and the logger that is usually administered by a forester. Its negotiation gives you the opportunity to express goals and concerns with the logger in order to avoid surprises and disputes later on. It is better to be disappointed in negotiations than during harvest. In this process, you can become familiar with the details of the harvest. The contract should include:

Legal description of the land with map
Boundaries
Access routes
Prohibited areas
Description of timber to be harvested
Species
Size and quality
Marked to be cut or marked to be left
Harvest location and boundary
Define terms used
Locations of roads and landings
Usually better to restore pre-existing roads and landings than to build new ones
Erosion control methods - See BMPs
Stream and water body protection - See BMPs
Restrictions to prevent soil and residual tree damage
Avoid wet weather operations and operating during mud season
Equipment specifications
Smaller equipment may be desirable to decrease residual damage
After harvest activities like seeding and erosion control
Slash disposal -See BMPs
Hours of operation to restrict noise to certain times
When harvesting is to begin and end
You may want to pay extra for a harvest when the ground is frozen or snow covered to protect the soil
Clean up and debris removal
Compensation for:
Infrastructure damage
Unnecessary damage to residual trees
Cutting of timber not meant to be harvested
Any other deviations from contract
Method and time of payment
Stumpage sale: based on the amount of wood removed
Lump sum: single payment
Should be marked and supervised
Insurance and liability specifications

(Kelley 1987)

Woods Roads: Building a road is probably the most dramatic and permanent change to a woodlot, along with being the greatest expense (Jones 1993). Maine regulations require a Site Application Permit for permanent roads greater than 3 acres in total area or roads that do not follow state road standards. If the length (miles) times the width (feet) of the road is greater than 24.8, the road has an area greater than 3 acres. A copy of road standards is available from the Bureau of Land Quality Control, State House Station #17, Augusta ME 04333, 1-800-452-1942 or 287-2111. For organized towns, permits are available from the Department of Environmental Protection (287-7688). For unorganized towns permits are available from LURC call 1-800-452-8711. LURC has specific standards for roads and water crossings. To get those standards, request LURC to send you chapter 10 of the Commission's Rules and Standards(Land Use Handbook 1995).

Benefits
Make the timber worth more by improving access for harvesting
Reduces harvesting damage by reducing the amount of skidding
Provide recreational access
Should have
Turnouts and turnarounds for fire trucks
At least 10' wide for safe passage (Yankee Woodlot #5)
Proper drainage and stream crossings -see BMP's to minimize erosion
Ditches on sides to drain water
Gate and sign to keep unauthorized vehicles out
Should use
Topographic maps to layout road location
Soil maps to identify soils that pose problems
Portable bridges, reusable culverts, crushed stone
Grading to prevent water from collecting and causing ruts plus potholes
Seeding to stabilize exposed soil (contact local USDA office for cost-sharing)
Aesthetics
Keep width of road and road right of way to a minimum needed for safety
Cut trees before bulldozing
Bury slash and stumps or push into woods
Leave stumps in upright position
Lop slash along road's edge
Leave large, attractive trees along road
Prune trees along road for better visibility and access into woods
Create openings for views
Keep stonewalls intact

(Jones 1993)

Landings: These are often where the public and you get their first impression of a harvest. Keep this in mind. Landings also provide openings for wildlife to browse on shrubs and grass in an otherwise unbroken forest.

Should use
Topographic maps to layout landing locations
Work hours to prevent noise from bothering neighbors
Dry sites for location
Area to bury slash after use
Seeding of grass to stabilize soil, maintain treeless for future use, or create parking and turnaround for cars
BMPs
Aesthetics
Try to leave slash and unused logs in the woods
Remove trash from landing daily
Spread gravel or wood chips to keep mud off truck tires and public roads
When done
Clear landing of debris, level, smooth, and grass with lime and fertilizer
USDA cost-sharing available
Many people would be interested in collecting slash on landings to sell or use as firewood
Remove damaged trees around landing

(Jones 1993)

Skid Trails

For more efficient and less damaging skidding, map and mark locations of major trails, along with woods roads and landings
Decrease Erosion by
Following contours to decrease erosion
Not skidding excessively wet conditions
Skidding when ground is frozen or snow covered
After use, install water bars on steep trail sections
Using BMPs
Protect quality trees with low quality bumper trees along trails
Decrease damage to bark of trees along trail by avoiding sharp turns
Aesthetics
Avoid crossing stone walls and other cultural features (old basements)
Reconstruct crossings of stone walls
Keep trails debris free
Overall quality of work is reflected in the "look" after harvesting

(Jones 1993)

Felling

Mark trees to be cut with paint on both sides to make planning on direction to fell each tree easier for the logger. The logger is better able to decrease residual damage by being able to see which trees will be cut.
Logger should direct the fall of trees to prevent damage to residual trees and protect pockets of regeneration
Start close to the landing and work towards the back so that skidding can occur over the slash generated in harvesting (idea of David Beers)
Leave tops and branches in woods to recycle their nutrients into the soil
Utilize tree-tops to as small as market allows to make more money and reduce slash
Aesthetics
Lop tops left in woods (do not lop if you want slash to protect regeneration from deer browsing)
Cut and lop leaning and severely damaged trees
Cut stumps low to ground (<6" high)

(Jones 1993)

HOME / CONTENTS / INDEX / DEFINITIONS / REFERENCES / SUGGESTIONS

http://www.ume.maine.edu/~woodlot/ Copyright ©1997: University of Maine Contact: Webwiz@apollo.umenfa.maine.edu