Alternative Enterprises
In the past, managing your forest land usually meant managing the trees to produce the maximum amount of wood mass for a given pulp or sawtimber species. However, in addition to managing for these timber products, there are other enterprises which can diversify a forest resources management program. Timber is a long-term investment with returns available only after 20 or more years. In many circumstances additional, shorter term income from the forest land would be beneficial. Some of these alternate enterprises include Christmas trees, firewood, woody biomass, pine-straw, hunting, fishing and grazing.
Interest in alternative enterprises
on forest land is growing ,but there is also concern about how these practices
impact forest growth and health. For example, in the last decade, Florida
landowners have begun the new management practice of removing pine needles
from the forest floor to sell as landscape mulch. There is little information
on the impacts of pine needle removal on the growth and health of the forest.
Our extension program educates landowners about the impacts of this practice
on forest growth and productivity so that they can in turn weigh the impacts
and make well-informed management decisions.