The family forest provides space, shade, clean air, cool nights, probably a stream or a pond, fishing and hunting, but most of all an opportunity to get away from the pressures and tensions of daily life. The forest provides a place to pick berries, gather nuts, observe wildflowers and wildlife, study nature and become involved in wholesome outdoor projects. The natural beauty of a family forest is enhanced to the owner by the care taken to preserve and improve favorite scenic areas.
Forest management practices such as timber harvests often provide a means to help owners enjoy their forests. Logging roads and skid trails often require little additional effort to maintain for walking trails or wildlife observation paths. Timber harvests can also open vistas so attractive forest or rural settings can be seen. Wildflowers, rare in the dense forests, often flourish in openings prepared for tree planting.
Hiking, horseback riding, and trail bike riding can be done over a network of rough forest roads developed for logging access or firebreaks. Such roads should be at least 10, but preferably 15 feet wide, with leadoff ditches and water bars where erosion potential exists. To be effective as a firebreak, seed the road to grasses or legumes that remain green and relatively nonflammable during the winter forest fire months (October 15 to May 15). Kentucky fescue, a perennial grass, provides good winter cover and can be grown in combination with white clover or winter peas. Rye grass, an annual, will quickly protect the soil. Common Bermuda grass is widely used in many areas. These forest roads should be fertilized and limed every 3 or 4 years to maintain a good cover.
Aesthetics will govern how many owners manage their land. Species such as blackgum, dogwood, fringetree, magnolia, mountain laurel, redbud, some red maple, rhododendron, sourwood, sweetgum, and yellow-poplar can be reserved along the roads and trails for their flowering habit or colorful foliage. Some owners may even wish to release these species from the competition of other trees.
Whatever your reasons for owning timberland, management activities can be used to protect or even enhance the features that you value most.
