Woodlot Management Plan

Overview

The woodlot management plan will provide a framework for the implementation of forest management treatments to meet the owners objectives (e.g. to increase biodiversity, improve timber quality, enrich wildlife habitat, minimize environmental impacts). The woodlot management plan must be approved by the Department prior to starting any treatments.

The operations identified in the plan should be planned over a minimum ten-year interval and revised when necessary. The plan must include a treatment summary outlining the implementation of operations and the anticipated outcomes from each completed treatment.

Required Elements

A woodlot management plan requires, but is not limited to, the following:

Essential Plan Components:

• Woodlot owner objectives - Clear statement of what the owner wants to achieve
• Defines the lands to which it applies - Legal description and boundaries
• The purpose and scope of the plan for a ten-year period - Long-term vision
• Provides a general description of the ownership for the area under consideration
• Provides a description of the woodlot - Current condition, forest types, age classes

Protection and Conservation

• Identifies the protection needs of the woodlot (i.e. fire, water course, rare plants)
• Describes the silvics of the species, which will be managed - Growth characteristics, shade tolerance, site requirements
• Identifies biological, physical and legal constraints on the development of the woodlot

Management Prescriptions

• Specifies the long-term planning objectives for the woodlot
• Describes the amount and type of work to be undertaken
• Stand tally information - Inventory data
• Stand treatment prescriptions - Specific silvicultural treatments planned

Supporting Information

• Map of property - Showing stands, features, access
• Woodlot access - Roads, trails, planned infrastructure
• Stream (if applicable), wildlife, and biodiversity enhancement and management

Important: All harvest sites must be prescribed in an approved forest management plan. No treatments can begin without Department approval of the plan.