Planning and Consulting
Chart your course of action before embarking on a project or making a management decision. A well-crafted plan strategically integrates your objectives with evidence-based recommendations and site-specific factors such as climate and soil characteristics.
From windbreak plantings to oak savanna restorations, we can write project plans for every service we provide. As a certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Prudenterra’s forest management plans (including agroforestry) and prescribed fire plans are eligible for financial assistance.
Forest Management Plans
Better understand your woodland to provide a quality refuge for wildlife, and cultivate a more valuable asset for the next generation.
Forest Management Plans include:
- Evaluation and recommendations for your woodland, stream, and grassland ecosystems.
- Economic and ecological projections based on different management alternatives.
- Appraisal of tree species, condition, and timber value.
Financial Assistance is available for Forest Management Plans through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. In addition, a Forest Management Plan may qualify you for financial assistance for management practices to improve your land such as strategic tree selection, invasive species management, oak savanna restoration, tree and shrub plantings, and prescribed burning. Visit your county NRCS office for financial assistance details, and to apply.
Learn more in our forest management plan handout.
Ecological Timber Sales
Generate revenue from your woodland while supporting wildlife habitat. Prudenterra can help you receive the highest price for your timber and ensure quality regeneration.
Working with a forester can increase the price you receive for your timber by 30-40%. When Prudenterra conducts an ecological timber sale, we mark and document the trees that the woodland owners would like to sell. We mail a notice to several buyers, inviting them to look at the trees and submit a sealed, lump sum bid. Then, the woodland owner can select their top bid.
An ecological timber sale can enable wildflowers to flourish in your woodland and support oak regeneration by increasing sunlight to the vegetative layer. Older or poorly formed trees are removed, and as a result, younger and better formed trees can grow more quickly. Woody debris on the forest floor provides structural diversity for songbirds, salamanders, and other wildlife.
Learn about different approaches to cutting timber in our Harvest Systems Guide. Curious to know what is in an agreement between a landowner and log buyer? Check out an Example Timber Sale Contract.
Contact forester Luke Gran at Prudenterra to schedule a free timber sale review–determine if your trees are marketable and discuss your options.
Consulting
Appraisal
A timber appraisal enables you to wisely allocate your resources when making real estate or woodland management decisions. Knowing the value and distribution of merchantable timber trees makes it possible to prioritize woodland management most effectively. Because of this, a timber appraisal is included in each of Prudenterra’s forest management plans. Only private foresters like Prudenterra can offer this service in the state of Iowa.
Custom Consultation
Specific questions that require a site visit and analysis may fall under the category of custom consultation. We have provided consultation expertise to a broad range of clients, from construction firms seeking to understand how to employ better practices on a site, to private landowners who require a forester’s legal testimony to recover damages.