Available to handle all of your Forest Management needs.
Acorn Outdoors provides complete natural resource management services for private landowners in terms of both immediate and long-term management. Management objectives are tailored to meet a landowner’s goals while considering the potential of the property as well as its limitations. Two of the most common management objectives are maximizing timber production and wildlife management. Our timber management services include:
A timber sale is harvest of timber (sawtimber, chip-n-saw, pulpwood, poles, etc…) in exchange for money. Acorn acts as the sales agent of the landowner to work with timber buyers to ensure a landowner receives the highest overall amount possible between all product classes, and that the harvest operation is performed correctly, and completed with reputable timber buyers and loggers.
A timber cruise is the estimated inventory of a stand (or multiple stands) of timber. Each stand will have a pre-determined number of sample plots. In each plot, the DBH (diameter at breast height) and height of each tree is measured and recorded. Variations from typical product classes may also be identified and recorded, along with any notes about the stand such as disease, insects, overall stocking, and many others. Height may be measured by total height or by a merchantable height, depending on the situation.
Timber marking is generally one of the phases of a timber sale, however, some landowners and consultants may conduct the sale on their own and need assistance with the marking phase. Boundaries, SMZs, “cut” trees, or “leave” trees may be marked depending on the customer and specifications of the sale.
Boundary lines on some properties, especially those in more populated areas, are very evident using well maintained with barbed wire fence. Other times fencing is not economical, or feasible in remote locations. In these situations, boundaries are marked with paint. Painted boundaries may need to be established upon a landowner purchasing a tract of land, and should be maintained and re-painted about every five years to keep the markings visible and monitor for encroachment and other issues.
Management plans are used to assist landowners by outlining a method which accomplishes their unique goals. Many facets of a landowner’s property may be enhanced with sound forest management practices including increasing revenue, improving habitat for wildlife, and improving the property for recreational activities such as horseback riding. Management plans are created by taking all of these areas of importance, and improving them accordingly, all while maintaining the health and vigor of the forested areas. Timber management plans specifically focus on the quality and value of the timber resource as a guiding factor for other aspects of the property. Acorn writes two different types of timber management plans. Plans are generally written for a ten-year outlook, and revised every five years.
Wildlife management plans are very similar to timber management plans, however their driving force is wildlife instead of timber. While this may decrease the revenue from timber, it may increase the overall revenue of the property. Landowners may choose to manage for both game, and/or non-game wildlife species. These plans may be used to ensure property tax benefits for smaller landowners, and often at a lower tax rate than timber. Acorn may call upon other specialized professionals to assist in the creation of a wildlife plan if the landowner plans on making wildlife a direct source of revenue, such as a hunting retreat. As with timber plans, wildlife plans are written for a ten-year period and should be updated every five years.
Acorn has always been known for its reforestation activities. Twenty plus years of experience of reforestation work on over 1,000,000 acres, working with many companies, consultants, and private individuals goes into writing a reforestation plan. Unlike timber and wildlife management plans, reforestation plans are time sensitive and written specifically for a single stand. Plans are written by degreed foresters and vary depending on the specific site and budget constraints of each landowner. Plans can be easily matched to government funding programs, such as EQIP sponsored by the NRCS.
GIS and mapping has become an invaluable part of natural resource management since this type of software was created almost 50 years ago. Acorn can assist both small landowners and large consultants with many GIS products and solutions ranging from small aerial photograph maps showing a landowner’s property, to property protection map books, wildlife habitat analysis, and forest stand identification and delineation.
Acorn has the ability to print up to 46” wide and up to 150’ long in color or black and white. Generally this goes along with GIS services in printing large maps and aerial photographs but may certainly be used for posters, graphics, or photographs. Paper quality and resolution are determined by the budget of the individual landowner or project.
Acorn is currently a leader among forestry companies in the southeast specializing in prescribed burning, reforestation, and timberland management. Acorn was started back in 1997 and incorporated in 1999 in Huntsville, TX.