The number of woodlot owners and farmers using the services of professional foresters has gone up dramatically in the last few years in Huron County.
Planning Director Scott Tousaw says the increase from 2011 to 2015 is 30%.
Tousaw says using a professional can help maximize the value of the harvest for the current year and for future years. He also points out the cost of a professional forester is repaid many times over because the property owner gets a long-term forest management plan to maximize the value of their woodlot for several years.
A professional forester will also create the documents for loggers to bid on and that also helps to maximize the return on the harvest.
Huron County offers a couple of incentives for using professional foresters. When a landowners want to harvest a woodlot, they are required to file a notice of intent with the county. If they use a professional forester, the fee for that notice of intent is waived.
The Huron Clean Water Program is able to provide funding of 50% up to a specified maximum towards the cost of a professional forester.
