Conservation
organizations whose mission it is to preserve and protect special parcels of land into
perpetuity for future generations to enjoy, see their land holdings most clearly for what
they are - living organisms, a renewable resource, a mystery of Life ever-changing. As
stewards and protectors of land, we understand the needs of the various Land Trusts,
Conservation Trusts, and Preservation Trusts visible, active, and hard at work preserving
and protecting the land that they care so much about. That is why we've tailored a special
program to help conservationists and land protectors better manage their valuable assets.
Unfortunately many Land Trusts and Conservation Organizations operate today under the
belief that the static state is the best state. But by electing to do nothing, they may in
fact be minimizing their land's capacity to produce and support wildlife, or outdoor
recreational opportunities, or forest products, or species diversity. The point is, doing
nothing may be doing more harm than good. At DuBois Forestry and Land Management
Professionals we understand this dilemma. That is why we developed a program
called Conservation Lands Management.
As Conservation Land Managers, we tend to the day-to-day needs of the
Conservation Trusts. Most Trust members don't have the opportunity to regularly oversee
the properties they own. It is our job to do that for them.
Through our services we may post boundaries with No Trespassing signs and blaze property
lines to ward off wandering picnickers whose live embers beneath the ashes of their fire
may be stirred by the breeze into flame.
We clear trails and maintain woodsroads in passable condition to insure good continued
access to the interior of the property for fire suppression purposes. Trail blazing and
maintenance are also important to the cross-country skiers and hikers who visit the
properties for peace and solitude.
Where the forests encroach on open fields we cut back the new growth to maintain the field
and the important habitat it provides for ground-nesting birds. We install bird boxes in
and around wetland areas where enough cavity trees do not naturally occur. We plant
flowering and fruiting shrubs which we know attract certain species of birds and other
wildlife.
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We plant ground
cover to stabilize eroding areas and introduce wildflowers to areas where we know they can
grow and prosper. But these services cost money, and in the small Conservation
Organizations, money is sometimes hard to come by. That is why we recommend that
landowners take a good look at their forest resource which could hold the key to their
financial demands.
To improve the health and vigor of trees in the forest, it is sometimes necessary
to selectively remove trees that are dead, dying, deformed, defective, or poorly growing.
Professionally planned and supervised, forest management activities can be carried out
safely and profitably with little to no environmental perturbation.
The proper silvicultural manipulation of a forested ecosystem will result in accelerated
growth among trees that comprise the residual stand. It will encourage new regeneration of
young trees on the forest floor. Herbacious ground cover will flourish where sunlight
penetrates small openings in the forest canopy, shedding needed light on the forest floor
below. The added ground cover will attract more and greater varieties of wildlife which
will come there to feed and breed and make their homes. A greater diversity and abundance
of life throughout the forest will occur, and what's more, the sale of removable forest
products will have generated revenues for other services outlined above.
The first step is to arrange a meeting with the professionals at DuBois Forestry
and Land Management who can help you get to know your property a little better.
We will use our initial meeting to assess the specific goals and objectives of the
organization to determine whether and how we can be of service. We listen carefully to the
needs of each organization and then tailor an Environmental Management Plan
to supply the organization with its essential wants. An Environmental Management
Plan is an organization's investment in its future, and we plan to be there to
see it through. |
