New video gives facts on selling timber for family forest owners
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EmailNew series of YouTube videos being produced by MSU Extension to reach out to private forest landowners about managing their forests properly and with the help of a professional forester.
Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and the MSU Department of Forestry are producing a series of YouTube videos for family forest owners. The first video “Forestry – from Fear to Facts” showcases Michigan landowners talking about their initial worries about selling timber and their satisfaction with the results. Whether for income, wildlife habitat or aesthetics, the landowners stress the importance of having a management plan and working with professional foresters.
The video can be seen at the right or at this link. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Forest Management Division is featuring the video on its Forest Management and Planning homepage.
Michigan is home to more than 350,000 non-industrial private forest owners; i.e. those whose primary business is not producing forest products. Individual and family-owned forests are the source for half of the wood produced in Michigan and almost half of their owners will sell timber during their tenure.
Many forestland owners sell timber only once in their lifetime. This unfamiliarity with how to sell timber can cause anxiety with respect to the process and lack of planning for a successful sale. MSUE has resources to inform landowners about selling timber and to refer them to professional foresters who can collaborate with landowners to write management plans and oversee sale and harvesting operations.
The video series was produced in conjunction with the outreach funded by the Feedstock Center of Energy Excellence, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Frontier Renewable Resources. Professor Karen Potter-Witter and Graduate Assistant Brett Kuipers directed the video. The videography is by Great Lakes Digital Video Production.
