Texas A&M Forest Service: Water Resources: Forest Landowners

Showing posts with label Forest Landowners. Show all posts

Friday, August 24, 2012

Wealth of Information at Your Fingertips!

Forest landowners who want some information on various aspects of timberland ownership can go to the Texas Forest Service website. For a concise collection of links to all kinds of information, go to the Water Resources web page - http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/water - and click on "Publications." Scroll down until you find Forest Landowner Briefings. The first edition covers a wide variety of topics pertinent to forest landowners. Links are included so the viewer can delve more deeply into each topic. The second edition, which was just published (August 2012), looks a little farther into more specific topics, including wildfire recovery, wildlife management, endangered species, forest taxes, and non-traditional income on forestlands.

These two newsletters were originally intended to be a resource for landowners with forested property in East Texas but living out of state. However, any forest landowner can benefit from the information provided, especially new landowners who aren't sure where to start and what is available to them. Take a look!

Photo by Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service

Friday, June 22, 2012

Professional Loggers Know BMPs

Are you considering a logger or operator to carry out a forest management activity on your property, but want to know if they have experience with Best Management Practices (BMPs)?

The Texas Forestry Association maintains a searchable online database of individuals who have received BMP training as part of the “Texas Professional Logger” program.

(click on the image below to access the online logger training database)

Why Should I Use a Pro Logger?

Among other reasons, Pro Loggers have demonstrated consistently higher levels of BMP use. Since 1992, Texas Forest Service has been monitoring the use of voluntary Best Management Practices on forestry operations across East Texas. Each of the 8 rounds of monitoring that have been conducted to date have concluded that proper BMP use is significantly higher for loggers who are familiar with BMPs and/or who have attended formal BMP training. (TFS BMP monitoring reports are available here)

What Training Do Pro Loggers Have?

In order to become classified as a Texas Pro Logger, individuals must receive training in all of the following core courses:

Best Management Practices - 8 hours
Silviculture, Wildlife, Wetlands, Endangered Species, Invasives, Special Sites, Aesthetics - 4 hours
Safety Training - 4-6 hours (must re-take every 2 years)
Business Management - 4 hours

Furthermore, in order to maintain their certification, Pro Loggers must attend a minimum of six (6) hours of continuing education training each year. The Texas Forest Service has developed several courses in BMPs that are available for continuing education training in the program.

For information on when training workshops will be held contact the Texas Forestry Association.

How Does the Online Database Work?

You can use the online database to search for the name of a Pro Logger, the company they work for, or where they are located (keep in mind that most contractors work across wide regions and are not necessarily restricted to the town listed as their location). Records for each individual will list their address information, training history, and indicate whether they hold a current Pro Logger Status – look for the Texas Pro Logger seal.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Free Riparian Management Workshop - May 3, 2012

(Click on image for larger view)

The Lampasas Watershed Partnership will host a one-day “Proper Functioning Condition" Riparian workshop on May 3 in Hamilton, TX.

Riparian and wetland areas occur along watercourses or water bodies and occupy the transitional area between the upland and water ecosystems. Typical examples would include floodplains, stream banks and lakeshores.

Participants will learn the basic interaction of Hydrology, Erosion/Deposition, and Vegetation for central Texas creeks and rivers. Among topics to be covered are channels, floodplains, water table, vegetation, base flow, flood flow, sediment and how these things in combination are what make up the Riparian Area. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, consists of classroom and field instruction on the South Lampasas River.

The course primarily will be conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel.

Three continuing education units will be available to holders of Texas Department of Agriculture private pesticide applicator licenses.

The workshop will be on May 3 at the Texas Game Warden Training Center, 4363 FM 1047, Hamilton, TX. Lunch will be provided for registered participants. The field portion will begin at the Texas Game Warden Training Center and then move down river to the Bettie Sheldon Black Ranch.

There is no fee required to attend these workshops, however, those who wish to attend must RSVP to Lisa Prcin by email or phone by May 1. For more information contact her at 254-774-6008 or lprcin@brc.tamus.edu. A draft workshop agenda is available at www.lampasasriver.org as well as maps to the workshop location.

The Lampasas River Watershed Partnership is a collaborative effort by local stakeholders, AgriLife Research, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board to address water quality concerns within the Lampasas River watershed through the development of a watershed protection plan. The Lampasas River watershed encompasses parts of Mills, Hamilton, Lampasas, Coryell, Burnet, Bell and Williamson counties.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Post-Fire Erosion Control Measures

On January 13, 2012, the Lost Pines Recovery Team in Bastrop County provided a free educational workshop for landowners affected by the recent wildfires. The topics covered a wide range of subjects, providing information useful to to any landowner impacted by the recent wildfires in Texas (not just those in Bastrop County). The Texas Forest Service Water Resources Program presented information on erosion control measures that landowners can take following wildfire to reduce the risks of soil and water degradation.

The presentations are available online as a standard PDF document, or as a video of the presentations. To access them click on the images below:

To view the PDF documents you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. The software is available as a free download from the Adobe website. To view the video presentations you will need to have Apple QuickTime. The software is also available as a free download from the Apple website.

Additional information on post-fire erosion control can be found on the Bastrop County disaster recovery/relief website (http://www.co.bastrop.tx.us/bcdisaster/index.php/soilsaerosion).

Monday, March 26, 2012

2012 Texas Wildlife and Woodland Expo & Spring Fling

Over the weekend thousands of families, scouts, landowners and homeowners attend the annual Wildlife and Woodland Expo & Spring Fling at the Lone Star College-Montgomery campus in Conroe. The annual event is free and open to the public. It’s co-sponsored by Texas Forest Service, Lone Star College-Montgomery, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the U.S. Forest Service.

The Water Resources Program was on hand to answer questions related to water resources and promote the use of forestry BMPs. Donna Work and Todd Thomas handed out information and explained how healthy forests and the use of BMPs can provide clean water for the environment and the citizens of Texas. Landowners interested in conducting forestry activities on their property could pick up a copy of the Forestry BMP handbook and many other resources. A demonstration showing the importance of riparian vegetation and Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) was also conducted using a rainfall simulator model to illustrate the forest-water relationship.

Monday, March 5, 2012

BMP Fact Sheets

Need Some Quick Info on Forestry Best Management Practices?

Texas Forest Service has several fact sheets available to help you understand various aspects of using Best Managment Practices during your forest operations. These are a great resources for landowners or land managers unfamiliar with forestry BMPs.

Topics include: