You’ve bought the property, now what? The first thing you need to figure out is what you want to get out of your property. Do you want to create high quality deer habitat for hunting or wildlife viewing? Do you want to maximize revenue from timber production? Do you want to create recreational trails? The possibilities are endless! Setting specific goals for your property and your property management is a critical step in maximizing your property enjoyment.
Once you have a goal or multiple goals identified, it is time to set specific objectives. For example, if your goal is to create high quality waterfowl habitat and to have excellent duck hunting on your property, your objectives may include managing existing water bodies, installing water control structures to create an artificial marsh, managing vegetation composition and structure, and installing wood duck nesting boxes.
If your goal is to maximize timber productivity and provide a steady cashflow, your objectives will likely include establishing a timber basis, conducting a timber volume assessment, and dividing your property into manageable stands at various stages of a timber rotation.
It is often best to involve a professional forester and/or wildlife biologist early on in the planning process. Our experienced land managers can help you create a comprehensive management plan to ensure all of your goals and objectives complement each other and don’t conflict.
Don’t let the idea of a management plan scare you. A management plan is there to guide your through the steps of taking care of your property and will allow you to be better prepared. Management plans are intended to be a guide but can change over time. Sometimes goals change, objectives change, or we run into unexpected changes caused by things out of our control. If this happens, changes can be made to the management plan as needed.
