Timber & Forestry
TSI, timber harvests, firewood production, tree planting, and invasive species removal. Managing the woods is half the job on most rural property.
Coming Spring 2026
Timber Stand Improvement for Beginners (Coming Soon)
How to identify which trees to keep and which to remove. The single most impactful thing you can do for your timber, your wildlife, and your property value.
Forestry Guides
Manage your timber for value, wildlife, and long-term property health.
Timber Stand Improvement
TSI for Beginners: Hinge Cutting, Girdling, and Hack-and-Squirt
Three methods to improve your timber stand. When to use each one, what tools you need, and common mistakes that set you back years.
Tree Identification for Landowners
Know what you have before you cut anything. ID the keepers (oak, walnut, cherry) from the junk (elm, ash, box elder) and the in-between.
Harvesting & Firewood
How to Plan a Timber Harvest
Hiring a consulting forester, getting competitive bids, protecting your property during the harvest, and what a fair stumpage price looks like.
Firewood Production on Your Property
Turning TSI slash and storm damage into heat. Processing, seasoning, storage, and the tools that make it efficient.
Planting & Invasives
Best Trees to Plant on Rural Property
Mast-producing oaks, fruit trees for wildlife, and fast-growing screening trees. What to plant, when, and where to get quality seedlings.
Killing Bush Honeysuckle and Autumn Olive
The two worst invasives on rural property in the eastern US. Cut-stump, basal bark, and foliar methods that actually work long-term.
Frequently Asked Questions
TSI is the selective removal of low-value, damaged, or undesirable trees so the best trees get more sunlight, water, and nutrients. Common methods include girdling, hack-and-squirt herbicide, and hinge cutting for wildlife habitat. TSI improves timber value, wildlife habitat, and property aesthetics at the same time.
Contact a consulting forester (not a logging company) when your hardwoods reach 18-20 inches DBH. A forester marks trees, writes a harvest plan, and gets competitive bids from loggers. Skipping the forester typically costs landowners 30-50% of timber value. You will need the right equipment for access road maintenance before and after the harvest.
Cut stems at ground level and immediately apply triclopyr herbicide to the fresh cut. For large infestations, a forestry mulcher on a skid steer clears acreage fast, but follow-up herbicide on regrowth is still required. Late fall after natives go dormant but honeysuckle stays green gives the best selectivity. The right chainsaw safety gear is essential for this work.
Need the Right Tools for Timber Work?
Chainsaws, safety gear, and the equipment that makes forestry work manageable.
Equipment Guides →