Forest Management

Commitment to sustainable forestry

Ueland Tree Farm is committed to sustainable forestry. This includes:

Providing a sustainable flow of natural resources to local and regional residents and businesses, while protecting key streams, wetlands and wildlife corridors
Maintaining a diverse mix of species and age classes. This supports a vibrant early to mid-successional habitat in the forest
Protecting and enhancing the existing hydrologic environment for streams, wetlands and subsurface flows on the tree farm so that it contributes to the overall health of the Chico Creek sub-basin
Supporting responsible public and cultural access to the tree farm consistent with its operation as a working forest

When practical, state-of-the-art logging equipment and techniques such as cut to length low impact forwarders are used in combination with both pre- and post-commercial thinning to allow much of the forest canopy to be preserved during harvest.

Over the past decade, timber has been harvested from less than 20% of UTF property, primarily through thinning, which is consistent with our long-term forest management plan. In most cases, less than one-third of the trees are harvested per acre during thinning operations, allowing the remainder to benefit from increased natural light and protecting the plants and wildlife that live on the forest floor.

Mountaineers Foundation Conservation Easement

In December 2009, the Mountaineers Foundation accepted a gift of a conservation easement from Ueland Tree Farm protecting in perpetuity 100 acres of critical watershed near Chico and Lost Creeks. The conservation areas are in the northern portion of UTF property bordering the Mountaineers Rhododendron Preserve. This gift ensures that riparian zones adjacent to these watercourses, near the Mountaineers Forest Theater, are preserved in perpetuity and is another step toward ensuring the long term health of these important salmon-bearing stream systems. Here are additional sources of information about the easement: