Forestry Information:
The Dickinson Conservation District normally hosts regular events to educate the public about forestry and other conservation issues. Due to the current pandemic of Covid-19 our outreach events have been put on hold. Hopefully we will back to in person events soon! Until then please feel free to reach out to our Dickinson District Forester, Amy Walker, at (906)774-1550 ext. 100 for any questions or concerns you may have.
What the DCD Offers:The Dickinson Conservation District offers assistance to both landowners and forestry professionals. Through the Michigan Forestry Assistance Program (FAP), the DCD employs a Forester to educate and assist those with Forestry related issues.
Landowners should check out the 'Forest Landowner Assistance' and 'Site Prep & Competition Control' tabs under Services and Programs for more information on what we offer. Resource Professionals should check out the 'Forest Resource Professional Assistance' tab under Services and Programs for more information on our referral process and how it works. Contact the DCD Forester, Amy Walker on the 'Staff' page under Contact or submit a comment with the contact form to the right. |
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What is Forestry?
Forestry is an applied science that guides the responsible management of forest resources to meet society's needs and landowners' objectives. Professional Foresters are trained at Universities in a large number of subjects, including dendrology (the study of trees and their identifying characteristics), forest ecology, forest mensuration (tree and land measurements), statistics, natural resource policy, economics, and silviculture. Silviculture is the cornerstone of forestry, and is defined by the Society of American Foresters as "the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests...to meet the diverse needs and values of landowners and society on a sustainable basis" (Society of American Foresters 2015). Forestry has an important and large impact in everyone's lives and many don't even know it. As a Conservation District we try to help others understand what forestry is, why they should be concerned, and how they can make informed decisions with their own forests.
Forestry is an applied science that guides the responsible management of forest resources to meet society's needs and landowners' objectives. Professional Foresters are trained at Universities in a large number of subjects, including dendrology (the study of trees and their identifying characteristics), forest ecology, forest mensuration (tree and land measurements), statistics, natural resource policy, economics, and silviculture. Silviculture is the cornerstone of forestry, and is defined by the Society of American Foresters as "the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests...to meet the diverse needs and values of landowners and society on a sustainable basis" (Society of American Foresters 2015). Forestry has an important and large impact in everyone's lives and many don't even know it. As a Conservation District we try to help others understand what forestry is, why they should be concerned, and how they can make informed decisions with their own forests.
Forest Management
A common question posed to foresters is, "Why do humans need to manage forests? Can't nature manage itself?" Additionally, many people believe that humans should "protect" forests by setting them aside and leaving them alone.
A brief answer to this question is, humans need forests. Forests provide a large number of ecological services, such as cleaning the air and water, but they also provide a large number of material services. Wood and wood products are used in over 5000 commodities. Wood has been shown through scientific study to be the most sustainable and environmentally friendly building material currently available. Forests also provide livelihood to many people around the world. In Michigan alone, forests support 154,000 jobs and contribute $14 billion to the state's economy annually. Furthermore, despite Michigan's strong logging sector, our forests produce more than twice as much wood as is harvested by loggers each year.
It is important to understand that using forests and protecting forests go hand in hand. A landscape of managed forests is a landscape of healthy forests. The disturbance caused by well planned timber harvesting promotes the growth of high quality, healthy trees and creates forests that are diverse in both species and in age. Having various ages of forests on the landscape is critically important for wildlife. As an example, half of the migratory birds found in the Midwest use young forests (< 20 years old) habitat. This simple fact dispels the myth that old-growth is the most important forest type. To learn more about the importance of young forests, please visit the Ruffed Grouse Society's webpage.
A common question posed to foresters is, "Why do humans need to manage forests? Can't nature manage itself?" Additionally, many people believe that humans should "protect" forests by setting them aside and leaving them alone.
A brief answer to this question is, humans need forests. Forests provide a large number of ecological services, such as cleaning the air and water, but they also provide a large number of material services. Wood and wood products are used in over 5000 commodities. Wood has been shown through scientific study to be the most sustainable and environmentally friendly building material currently available. Forests also provide livelihood to many people around the world. In Michigan alone, forests support 154,000 jobs and contribute $14 billion to the state's economy annually. Furthermore, despite Michigan's strong logging sector, our forests produce more than twice as much wood as is harvested by loggers each year.
It is important to understand that using forests and protecting forests go hand in hand. A landscape of managed forests is a landscape of healthy forests. The disturbance caused by well planned timber harvesting promotes the growth of high quality, healthy trees and creates forests that are diverse in both species and in age. Having various ages of forests on the landscape is critically important for wildlife. As an example, half of the migratory birds found in the Midwest use young forests (< 20 years old) habitat. This simple fact dispels the myth that old-growth is the most important forest type. To learn more about the importance of young forests, please visit the Ruffed Grouse Society's webpage.
