Managing Your Trees and Woodlands

Trees, whether you have just one or a whole forest over many acres, need management, just like a garden (but on a longer and bigger scale). How and what you do with your trees generally depends on how many you have and what you want them for. There's some difference between managing 4 trees in your immediate yard, and 40 acres of trees that you intend to log and sell at some point in the future.

What Kind of Trees and How Many?

The first step is to determine what kind(s) of trees you have, and take a look at how many you have. That can help determine what management practices are needed and be a factor in decided if and how you want to use them.

Wild Iris Ridge (Eugene)
Courtesy of Oregon Dept of Forestry

Identifying Your Trees

One of the best books to learn about the region’s native trees is Trees to Know in Oregon from the Oregon State University Extension Service. This book not only helps you identify and learn about native trees, but also has good information about common introduced tree species. You can order a hard copy ($12.00) or download the entire book in .pdf format.

The Oregon Forest Resources Institute has an excellent guide to Trees of Oregon Forests

Taking Stock

If you have only a few trees, it's pretty easy to count them. However, if you have several acres and want to take an actual inventory for forest management planning or financial/tax reasons, it can be a little more complicated. Not only do the number of trees have to be counted, but their type should be noted and the approximate size and/or age should be calculated.

The Oregon State University Extension Service offers several publications on forest measurement. You can also contact your local extension office or the Oregon Department of Forestry for assistance or referrals. (For contact information see Help & Assistance)

Tree Health

Assessing tree health really depends on whether you are looking at an individual tree, such as one near your home, or whether you are gauging the overall health of stand of trees in a woodland or forest setting.

Individual Trees

A visual inspection of your tree can tell you a great deal. Damage from storms, hanging branches, large wounds, significant lean or obvious areas of decay all indicate that the tree is in less than perfect health. Less visible signs of poor health can include "puny" growth or shriveled leaves or signs of insects, disease or fungi on its trunk or at its base. In assessing what to do to after a storm has damaged your tree(s), check the Oregon Department of Forestry's publications: Tree First Aid After a Storm and Can These Trees Be Saved

If you suspect that your tree(s) are unhealthy, it's wise to address the matter a soon as possible - not just for the sake of the tree, but for the sake of you, your family and your home.

Consider hiring an Arborist (a person who practices arboriculture, or the care and maintenance of individual trees) when you see a tree in need of assistance. You can find Certified Arborists through the American Society of Consulting Arborists Referral Directory or the International Society of Arboriculture'sFind a Tree Care Service. An Arborist is also the person to call when you are building a home or driveway near trees, need a tree pruned correctly, or need a tree removed that is standing near your home.

Stand of Trees
Courtesy of Oregon Dept of Forestry

Forest and Woodland Health

While you may be able to treat individual trees to help them recover from whatever ails them, it is different when you need to deal with a stand of trees that is not doing well. Tree stands may suffer from both non-living (abiotic) factors, such as a change in the sites hydrology, or from biotic factors - insects, disease, rodents, or over-crowding.

Luckily, if you aren't a trained forester there are many free resources to assist you in evaluating the overall health of your forest or woodland, to help with planning, and to provide advice and information on all aspects of forest and woodland management. In addition, there is a whole industry of professionals at your disposal should you want to hire consultants or others to assist you.

Free Resources

Oregon State University has an excellent Forestry program, which includes a Forestry and Natural Resources Extension Program. Their regional Extension Service Offices provide information on forest and woodland related matters. Some Extenstion Service Offices even have Extension Foresters, trained in Forestry and there to provide you with information and assistance. Check the Help & Assistance section for contact information.

The OSU Extension office also has a wide variety of publications available, both online and in print. Check their catalog for publications on Forestry & Wood Processing and also check for print materials available from local your Extension Service Office.

One of the OSU training programs is the Master Woodland Manager Program. Master Woodland Managers are qualified small family forest land owners (small woodland owners) who receive specialized training by OSU Forestry Extension to be effective volunteers and community leaders. In return for approximately 85 hours of free instruction in subject areas that range from management planning, ecology, and forest inventory methods, Master Woodland Managers provide an in-kind service in through various volunteer activities. You may find a nearby Master Woodland Manager who can assist you will any issues or projects you have on your property.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has a Private Forests Program which provides landowner assistance services and enforcement of resource protection rules on 10.7 million acres of privately-owned forest in Oregon. Services include forest health and forest management assistance, preservation of water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife, and regulation of harvest, chemical use and reforestation requirements.

The Oregon Small Woodlands Association has local chapters and meetings in many areas of the state. Many OSWA members may be able to share their experiences in ways that are helpful to you (another reason to join!)

Professional Consultants

If you are looking to hire a professional, a consulting forester can help you with a variety of forest related considerations and activities. Look to a consulting forester for:

land, timber, damage and trespass-related appraisals;
Cost Basis determination of your timber;
environmental impact statements;
forest inventory and cruising;
forest management planning and plans;
litigation and expert testimony;
pest control;
specialty product marketing;
surveying and boundary establishment;
thinning and pruning;
timber tax counseling;
timber stand improvement;
tree planting and site preparation;
watershed protection;
wildlife management

You can find a professional forester through the The Association of Consulting Foresters of America, Inc.'s Find a Forester or by checking with your local Extension Office or Oregon Dept of Forestry office.