Forest Land Steward Photo

As professionals, we are committed to the highest standards of professionalism, ethics as well as legislative, environmental and safety standards.

Our Muskoka Land Steward Services Include;

Property Assessment

  • Value of the forest products on a property and the site potential of other property values

Timber Cruising

  • Measurement of all of the trees on a property and assessing the growth potential of these trees

Tree Marking

  • Identifying trees to be cut to implement a silvicultural prescription
  •  Volume and value tables can be constructed at this stage to develop the expected income

Tree marking is the application of paint to a tree marking it for removal. Trees marked for removal are those that will help the residual forest improve. Releasing or giving space to grow for healthier trees is the goal of tree marking. An experienced tree marker can tell the difference by external indicators and should be able to mark trees so that the quality of the wood lot on the whole improves.

Forest Product Marketing

  • Searching out the best company to sell forest products to

Boundary Line Marking

  • Muskoka Land Stewards uses the latest in high tech equipment to mark out boundaries and map them for the Property Owner. This will help keep the forest secure and protect sensitive areas.

Danger Tree Cutting And Tree Pruning

  • Danger Tree removals from around buildings and high use areas of your property.

Recreation Trail Layout

Using all available tools and a vast knowledge of soil situations, recreation trail layout will take you to points on your property that you did not know existed, where wildlife and backwoods beauty exist in harmony.

Recreation Trail Construction

Construction techniques used will create trails (for walking, ATV use, mountain biking and horseback riding) that have low environmental impact and use on site materials that will make a four season trail on your property.

Forest Management And Harvesting

Many forests in Ontario can benefit from an improvement harvest. Past uses or management, invasive pests, climate change or economic interests can all impact a forest. As a landowner, through good management, you can impact your forest in a positive way. Through the removal of defective trees, growth of the stand is redistributed for those trees of desired form, vigour, and species. Successive harvests (every 10 – 20 years) provide an increasing yield of both good quality wood products and income. A well managed wood lot can be a profitable venture.

Inventory

An inventory of the forest stand is required in order to answer some important questions required for the prescription. Generally, pine plantations that are 25 years of age are ready for their first commercial thinning. The inventory determines the composition of the forest, and the abundance and species of regeneration. It also identifies any significant wildlife features and areas of concern from a harvesting perspective (e.g. areas too wet for a summer harvest).

Contract Negotiation

When the successful bidder has been determined, a contract is negotiated between the harvester and the landowner to protect both the interests of the landowner and the contractor. The contract includes the payment schedule to the landowner. It outlines guidelines for the logging contractor and usually highlights potential penalties that may be paid to the landowner for such things as garbage left on site or skidding damage to residual trees. It also designates a time period for the contractor to work within. We will be there to make sure that the contract achieves all of the goals of the landowner.

Harvest Monitoring

Muskoka Land Stewards can monitors harvesting operations to make sure all is progressing well and as the contract spells out.