Released: February 05, 2004

Sustainable Woodland Management on Agenda for Roundup

MANHATTAN, Kan. – When producers think about marketing their crops, wheat, corn and sorghum usually come to mind. However, timber harvested from woodland areas can be a source of income for many Kansas landowners.

According to the Kansas Forest Service (KFS), forest land is defined as being an acre in size with at least 10 percent of the area in trees. As a rule of thumb, forest land capable of producing timber products has the ability to grow a minimum of 50 cubic feet per acre per year or to grow trees to a 50 foot height in 50 years.

Data from the North Central Forest Inventory and Analysis Program show Kansas woodlands are on the rise, increasing from 1.5 million acres in 1994 to 2.2 million in 2002. Ninety-six percent of those areas are owned by private landowners. However, only about 33 percent of the wood volume grown each year in Kansas is harvested. Recent numbers indicate Kansas manufacturing establishments in the lumber and wood industries employ approximately 3,200 people and pay $64 million in wages annually.

Bob Atchison, KFS Rural Forestry Coordinator, says woodlands are a renewable resource for wood products, clean water, wildlife, soil-erosion control, stream bank stabilization, recreation and scenic beauty.

A vast majority of Kansas woodlands are not managed, Atchison said. Producers oftentimes have the misconception that woodlands will remain the same if left alone, but that is not always the case.

“The laissez-faire approach to management of our woodlands, grasslands or any other natural resource might be practical if we had no effect on the landscape,” he said. “The reality is that we do have a tremendous impact on the environment. So the question for every landowner is whether they first understand the conditions of the natural resources on their properties and second, whether those conditions are acceptable to them based on their management goals and objectives.”

Atchison, along with K-State Research and Extension forester, Charlie Barden, will offer ideas on sustainable woodland management and timber marketing at the 10th annual Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Roundup Feb. 20-21 in Manhattan. The event is sponsored by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, the Kansas Rural Center, K-State Research and Extension and the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Professional Development Program. It is open to Extension employees, farmers, ranchers, food advocates and consumers. Registration is required, which includes handouts and lunch, and must be received by Feb. 10. Walk-ins will be welcome, however lunch may not be available for those not pre-registered.

Atchison and Barden will provide specific instructions to landowners who want to improve the quality of their woodlands based on their land management objectives. Examples of objectives might include wildlife habitat, aesthetics, timber products and water quality. Landowners will also learn what makes timber valuable and how they can market their timber products locally.

“Marketing timber is not as easy as marketing other crops,” Barden says. “Many landowners only sell timber once or twice in their lifetime.”

Barden said there are 38 active stationary sawmills and numerous other portable sawmills in the state. About three-fourths of the growing stock is in six species groups - cottonwood, hackberry, red oaks, white oaks, ash and black walnut. These six species groups account for more than three-fourths of the saw timber volume.

Atchison stresses the importance of woodland management, regardless if timber is being marketed or not. A lack of management can limit the capability of the woodland to provide wildlife habitat and can also lead to woody encroachment – the movement of trees from the bottomlands into uplands. Wildlife biologists claim this has affected populations of prairie chickens, quail and other grassland obligate birds.

Since woodlands’ and landowners’ objectives vary, Atchison said management decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.

“Even though there are some woodland areas in Kansas that might be ‘left alone,’ most areas could use a helping hand from the people responsible for their stewardship,” he said.

For more information about sustainable woodland management or the Roundup, contact KCSAAC at (785) 532-1440 or email kcsaac@oznet.ksu.edu. The center can also be reached by mail at KCSAAC, Kansas State University, 3029 Throckmorton, c/o HFRR, Manhattan, Ks. 66506.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Lisa Solomon, Communications Assistant
lms4577@ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News