Forests in the U.S. are managed for different purposes, including conservation, recreation, and the harvesting of forest products.
Most private forest owners, including TIR, sustainably manage their working forests using scientifically rigorous standards, systems, policies, and procedures that are incorporated into forest management plans that address environmental, social, and economic considerations. Generally, the trees in our forests being harvested today were specifically planted to be harvested years ago and have been managed since then using sustainable forest management (SFM) techniques.
Key elements of a typical forest management plan include:
- Forest management objectives and ecological goals;
- A legal description of the property and boundaries;
- Maps showing management areas, resources, and special considerations;
- Current forest conditions (e.g., the species, age, size, and health of trees);
- Conservation and best management practices for soil conservation, wildlife habitat, water resources, etc.;
- Schedules for thinning, final harvest, reforestation, etc.;
- Modeling of growth and desired future forest conditions;
- Certification commitments, including recordkeeping, ongoing auditing oversight, and stakeholder engagement; and
- Input from foresters, biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, economists, sustainability and certification specialists, and other stakeholders.
Large forest owners often integrate these elements into robust large-scale systems that maintain data and information for implementing sustainable forest management across their landscape. This establishes sustainability as the standard operating procedure across millions of acres of private working forests in the U.S.