The management plan and forest inventory of a private woodlot in Southern Ontario

Abstract

In Southern Ontario, private landowners hold the majority of forested land because of privatization. These property owners face degraded forests because of past logging practices. Other challenges faced by these owners are the threat of invasive species. Management plans offer the advantage of using proper silvicultural treatments to restore forest’s productivity biodiversity. The purpose of this study is to develop a management plan for a private woodlot which was degraded by past logging events. The goal of the plan is to improve the productivity of the forest through silviculture treatments. Through the collection of data during the timber cruise an accurate forest composition will be documented. With this inventory and composition, a management plan will be developed in order to improve the degraded forests. The results of this work shows that the woodlot has four different forest types which are at different states of maturity. The management plan will focus on the elimination of infected trees caused by invasive species and shade intolerant trees. The targeted goal of the management plan is to create tolerant and mixed wood forest within the property.