You do not need a tablet or a forestry degree to get a rough estimate of how much wood you have standing in your forest. A Biltmore stick, sometimes called a cruiser stick, fits in your back pocket and lets you calculate board feet in minutes using nothing more than your arm and your eyes. […]

After the last log is loaded and the equipment leaves, skid trails often remain as the most visible mark on a woodlot. These compacted pathways act like channels, concentrating rainfall and sending it downhill fast enough to carve gullies, undermine roots, and wash sediment into nearby streams. Installing water bars is the simplest, cheapest way […]

Heavy equipment and wet forest floors do not mix well. When you are logging during muddy seasons or working in areas with clay-heavy soils, a single pass of a skidder can compact the ground enough to stunt tree growth for decades. Brush mats offer a simple, low-cost solution that uses the very material you are […]

Once you have felled your trees and milled them into boards, the real test of patience begins. Green lumber contains far too much moisture to use immediately, and throwing it in a pile will guarantee warping, staining, and cracks within weeks. Proper air drying starts with how you stack the wood from day one. Done […]

Owning a few acres of woodland comes with both privilege and responsibility. When your trees start crowding each other—typically fifteen to twenty years after planting or natural regeneration—it is time for your first selective thinning. Done correctly, this harvest improves forest health, promotes growth in your best specimens, and can provide modest income. Done hastily, […]