150 Acres need clear, need qualified consultant/contractor make woods healthy again

[DIRTROAD]

All very good advice!! Make sure to take the time before hand to establish a good management plan. Don't just hire anyone. Get references and check around.

Remember this saying:"Proper Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance"

It is very true. Take it slow and you will have good results and be happy. Rush things and you will end up with a mess and never be satisfied, plus it will cost you more in the long run.

 

[1greenmachine1]

I'm not sure about the current funding status of WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program), but you may be able to obtain some cost-share funding through the USDA. The USDA NRCS staff will prepare a farm plan for you and advise whether you would be eligible to apply for WHIP cost sharing.

Steve

When using the (Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program) and receiving funding for the land, does a land opener have to open the land up to the public for so many years? Does anyone know how this works? I'm not sure I'm interested in having the general public use my private land.

 

[texasjohn]

if you already have that level of wildlife, something "right" is going on...BEWARE of ATV and other motorized equipment/trails.... you need to plan where they go and install them ONLY if mandatory..... problem is that motorized equipment will tear up foliage and grass, thus starting progression of erosion.... having been left so long, the process of self healing from prior depredations is well along.... you are seeking to think ahead and are to be commended for this...just be aware that what you do should work WITH the process, not against it... gold stars to you for involving numerous agencies and people... each will have some good ideas and you will want to carefully consider each, reject some, to arrive at your final plan.:thumbsup:

Along the way, you will want to get an aerial view of the area... google earth is good for this...and observe surrounding terrain and wildlife cover... for deer, turkey, some other species, you do not have sufficient land ALONE to provide all the territory that they need...thus, you will need to work with your neighbors to achieve a total territory to handle that level of wildlife.

 

[QwikDraw]

When using the (Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program) and receiving funding for the land, does a land opener have to open the land up to the public for so many years? Does anyone know how this works? I'm not sure I'm interested in having the general public use my private land.

I can't tell you all the details but I do many projects that are WHIP funded. You do need to keep the land as habitat for ten years but you do NOT have to let anyone on your land. I am presently doing a 40 acre job which the land owner is improving bird habitat that he and his buddies hunt on.

 

[MossRoad]

When using the (Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program) and receiving funding for the land, does a land opener have to open the land up to the public for so many years? Does anyone know how this works? I'm not sure I'm interested in having the general public use my private land.

It would help to know what State your property is located in. That way, people from that state can tell you about some of the programs that they may have used in that state.

For instance, we have property in Indiana. We bought some land back in 1989 and we contacted the state forester. He came out, did a survey of the property and told us what types of trees, shrubs, etc... were already on it, what types of soils we had and what types of trees, shrubs would do well in those soil types. On our little 20 acres, there were three distinct areas: one field in sand, one established woodlot and one field in muck. He developed plans for us to reforest the two fields and manage the existing woodlot. He did all of this for free. Then he got us in contact with a private forester who purchased trees for reforesting from state nurseries, planted those trees and side sprayed them for weeds. The state forester inspected the private foresters work, made sure it followed the plans, we paid the private forester and the state reimbursed us for 75% of the cost! The only stipulations were we could not plant a Christmas tree farm and we had to either side spray the trees or mow the weeds once a year for five years. After that, we could do whatever we wanted with the trees. It worked out great.

So, after hearing your ideas to break the property into zones, the state forester will be better able to identify those zones for you, show you the good stuff you already have, show you how to enhance and manage it, show you your soil types, suggest different species for those soil types, identify any micro-climates that may exist on your property. Sometimes states also have biologists that will help you with wildlife management, lake enhancement and maintenance, fish stocking, etc...

With it being old mining, you may qualify for programs to reduce erosion, stabilize soil, reforest, game bird habitat, etc...

The possibilities are huge. Contact your county extension agent first. They can put you in touch with your state foresters and biologists and they usually know about any programs available in your state/county. :thumbsup:

 

[4105deere]

Using a program like whip doesn't give up any of your rights or allow anyone to take over, but the land must be used and taken care of within the program guidelines. In return Uncle Sam helps defray cost. Most of the people I know using this are happy. The mining there must have taken place before current reclamation laws and and allowed it to be grandfathered in. Old mines can be turned into great property if you take advantage of the rolling terrain mines leave behind. Careful if you do any mowing, we have run up on old crusher parts,tires and especially old cable hidden in the brush. This is the kind of work I do reclamation and planning for mining companies throughout the south. You probably don't want to clear as much as you think to reach your goals. I'll try to post some job pics of the type you want by the weekend. If you need any help give me a shout.

 

[1greenmachine1]

Thank you for all the great advise.

The property is located in Indiana and most of the land has had mineral/oil rights either sold or leased at one time or another since 1934. We are currently in the process of reviewing all leases and rights owned or not owned by us. The land as is at auction and included title insurance, for what ever that is worth?

The Attorney that we are currently using believes that we own all rights, but since the the laws pertaining to mineral rights and leases are very confusing, I'm not 100% convinced that we own everything? I've instructed the attorney to take the next step in publishing a notice in the local newspaper and to send notices to the companies that may claim that they have an interest in the mineral or gas rights.

Once we can be certain about our rights, we plan to build a home and build another large lake on the land.

If anyone has had any experience in cleaning up or buying existing mineral rights on there property, I would appreciate any advice that you can contribute.

4105deere I will PM you with more details, thanks for your help.

In the mean time we are still working towards cleaning up the property for recreation use, securing the property with game cameras, fencing and gates.

I'll also begin making contacts with the state forester. It appears that they can be a great asset.

Thanks again for all advice and help!!

 

[forgeblast]

I can say we worked with our state forester, there was even "free" (tax) money set aside for a person to hire a forester to do a forest conservation plan. this plan would take into account your goals while looking at the health of your forest.
Since I had the state forester out I was able to develop my own plan.
Basically my forest was stuck, it was high graded (cut the best leave the rest) about 30 years ago. Since then i had a few nice cherrys, oaks, maples and ash but the rest are lower quality pulp wood. Nothing that would get me any money. In fact one guy was offerieng to clear out the wood at 22 dollars a truck load. I said no to that and have been concentrating on cutting out the bad wood and using it for firewood, while working on opening up the canopy and releasing the high quality trees. I use the branches of the trees to make fences, to keep the deer from eating the trees i want to grow.
Sounds like a lot it is, but i have already noticed some improvement. It just takes time.
my scale is a bit different 20 acrs vs your 150, but i would say that a good forest plan is what you need then see what you can do or hire people to do.