Private ForestsBest Management Practices
By Web Admin on 8/3/2005 | Keyword(s): Forest management 101Forest Management 101
Best Management Practices
Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) are practices that protect forest, water, and soil resources while allowing for sustainable use of these resources. Guidelines for BMPs help landowners make decisions that, at the very least, ensure forested sites are not degraded, and often create more pristine watershed areas. BMPs also ensure that the waters associated with these forests are of the highest quality, compatible with natural processes, and that forest resources are wisely utilized. Landowners, managers, and tree growers are strongly encouraged to use best management practices.
The actual cutting of trees is not the part of harvesting that impacts stream water quality or site degradation. It is the activities associated with moving the product from the cut site to the mill that have the potential to cause substantial site and water quality degradation problems. The most serious problems involve erosion, and the transport and deposition of the erosion material. Site water quality degradation and site disturbance may be directly related to sedimentation and erosion problems, therefore the majority of the BMPs focus on measures to minimize site disturbance.
Loggers benefit from these practices with lower costs through more efficient operations; forest owners benefits by reducing the need for site re-conditioning; and society benefits from less degradation of soil and water on the harvested area.
For more information, see Forestry Best Management Practices for Illinois: An Introduction.
Most best management practices guidelines include:
- Forest road construction and maintenance recommendations including erosion control measures
- Creation of "streamside management zones" - vegetated buffer strips along streams, lakes, and wetlands
- Guidelines for safe and effective chemical and fertilizer use
- Recommended practices for harvesting to protect sensitive areas
- Recommendations for matching silvicultural techniques with soils, slope, and ground cover on each site when preparing for reforestation
- Control of waste disposal on forest lands, such as servicing equipment away from wetlands and removing all trash from the site
- Creation of firelines during wildfires and prescribed burns
More information on BMPs in your individual state can be found at your State Department of Natural Resources, Department of Wildlife, or Department of Conservation under our State Resources section.
Links to Comprehensive Forestry BMP Sites:
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