Management Planning
Management planning is possibly the most overlooked step in the forest management
process. Too frequently, landowners apply a reactive approach to decision making
that leads either to missed opportunity costs, increased direct costs, and limited
achievement of objectives or increased tax consequences. Our H&H foresters head
off these outcomes by working closely with our
clients to identify their objectives,
the constraints imposed by the resource, possible tax implications and profitability
of various options long before any management steps are implemented.
Our management plans span the gamut of complexity from simple single stand harvesting
and reforestation recommendations to sophisticated growth modeling and harvest scheduling
for large ownerships. As with all of H&H’s services, the first step in the
planning process is determining the need. This is typically followed by a verbal
or written proposal outlining the methodology to be used and the information to
be included in the final product: the written management plan. Plan development
is typically billed based on a fixed project cost based on the design of the plan.
For more information on management planning, contact an H&H
forester to schedule a personal or phone interview.
Forest Stewardship Plans
The federal Forest Stewardship Program has been instrumental in encouraging landowners
to obtain written management plans for their property. A Forest Stewardship Plans
(FSP) is a management plan drafted under a specific set of criterion set forth by
the USDA. An FSP is required in order to apply for state 
Riparian Buffer Tax Credits
and for participation in a number of state and federal cost-share programs. H&H
is a Virginia Dept. of Forestry certified preparer of Forest Stewardship Plans.
Note FSP, by law, may not contain timber volume or value information.
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Forest & Wildlife Management Plans
In contrast to a Forest Stewardship Plan, our Forest or Wildlife Management Plans
(FMP) are a custom product designed to address the specific information and management
planning needs for a particular project or client. Where an FSP requires a standard
list of components that may or may not be needed, we custom blend our FMP’s
to include the most cost effective combination of maps, data, tables, and text in
order to maximize the benefit: cost ratio of developing the plan. Plans focused
solely on timber management typically include a timber cruise and associated reports,
up to date aerial stand maps, stand descriptions, harvesting and management recommendations,
and schedules of activities and associated costs / revenues.
Like aLike an FMP a Wildlife Management Plan incorporates a custom blend of assessments
and information oriented towards habitat and population management of one or multiple
species of game or non-game wildlife. A significant percentage of our clients have
wildlife management objectives. At H&H we pride ourselves in our ability to blend
wildlife and timber management goals into multi-resource plans that maximize the
benefits to both timber and wildlife.
Our clients in this arena include recreational
hunters / landowners, hunt clubs and commercial shooting preserves. No matter what
the species of wildlife, the greatest tool in their management is the manipulation
of their habitat and no activity has a greater impact than those associated with
timber harvesting and management. Our landscape level habitat plans often contain
combinations of timber harvest design with new or existing food plot layout and
early successional habitat establishment. We apply our knowledge as resource professionals
with our life long experience as hunters and outdoorsman to create a cost effective
design aimed at attaining your goals.
Related Services include:
- Plan development
- Population census
- Remote camera surveys
- Harvest Planning
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Timber Investment Plans
Timber investment plans (TIP) are evaluations of a timberland ownership aimed solely
at determining the future potential of a tract or combination of tracts to produce
an economic return on investment and layout a strategy to maximize that return.
TIP’s can be drafted for tracts already owned, or as part of an acquisition
strategy. Inputs can be from existing inventory data provided by owner or seller
or can be obtained through a forest inventory designed and implemented specifically
for the development of the TIP.
Investment plans take into account such factors
as existing timber values, underlying land values, investment horizon, target returns
on investment, desired patterns of cash flow and exit strategies. A well designed
TIP is often instrumental in estate planning and decision making around portfolio
diversification. Our in-house expertise in timber tax issues, growth projections
and financial instruments means that you can rest assured that what-ever decision
you make regarding your timberland investments will be made on a strong foundation
of data, cost: benefit analyses, and risk management.
Typical report components address:
- Bare land and timber value separation
- Cost Basis establishment
- Tax strategies
- Harvest and cash flow schedules
- Return on Investment for recommended treatments
- Periodic projected asset value tables
- Timber price points for deviating from planned schedules
All timber is not created equal, neither are timber managers. The decisions you
make in managing your forest investments can have multiple percentage points of
impact on financial returns. Our goal is to combine our expertise with your assets
to make you money. Our TIP’s are living documents that map out a plan for the future.
Our services ensure that map leads you where you want to go.
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Tree Farm Certification
H&H’s H&H’s foresters are certified inspectors under the American Forest Foundation’s
(AFF) American Tree Farm System (ATFS). Sustainable certification has become an
important part of domestic and international woods products markets. AFF’s
commitment to sustainability is illustrated in the ATFS. ATFS certification is a
voluntary; third-party verified program where under landowners can demonstrate their
commitment to sustainable forestry practices on their land. ATFS certification involves
an onsite visit, verification of a written management plan, and audit of adherence
to a set of performance measures aimed at ensuring the certified tract achieves
the principles established by the ATFS. Tree farm plans and certification open the
door to a number of opportunities and markets including carbon markets. If you are
interested in ATFS certification, contact an H&H forester
to schedule an inspection.
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