finding a good Forestry Consultant

[Quebecnewf]

I will be needing the services of a forestry eng this coming winter. This will be to do a forest inventory of an area we plan to log. What type of questions should one ask in order to try and make sure you hire the right person. We will also be looking for a sawmill feasibility study and I would imagine this would be done by the same group. They would have to be based in Quebec I think but i;m not sure if this is necessary.

Anyone have any recomindations on any group or person you have delt with and what were your thoughts
Sorry if the question is a little vague

Paul

[Frickman]

Word of mouth is the best way to find a forester. Ask some other local landowners who they may have used in the past. Remember, a consulting forester should work for you, not a timber buyer. I'm not talking down timber buyers, I'm one too. Just realize that not all timber buyers have your best interests in mind. Their job is to feed a mill, not necessarily maintain and improve the quality of your forest.

As for a sawmill feasability study, I think you might have to find a different group to help you with that. The best avenue might be to find an experienced, retired person from the sawmill industry to help you assess your woodbasket, the markets, and the feasability of operating a sawmill.

[SwampDonkey]

These sites may be of help.
_____________________________

Fédération des producteurs de bois du Québec  (FPBQ)
Description
La FPBQ regroupe des syndicats de producteurs de bois et offices de mise en marché régionaux. La Fédération a pour mandat de représenter les 128 000 propriétaires forestiers et producteurs de bois de la province du Québec. Elle est membre de la Fédération canadienne des propriétaires de forêts privées.
Contact Information
Maison de L'UPA, 555 boul. Roland-Therrien
Longeuil, Quebec
Canada
J4H 4E7

Phone (450) 679-0540  Local 8201
Fax (450) 679-4300
Email    fpbq@upa.qc.ca

Contact Person(s)

Mr. Jean-Pierre Dansereau
Directeur général
FPBQ
__________________________________________________________

Bas-Saint Laurent Model Forest
http://wwwforet.fmodbsl.qc.ca/english/aindex.htm

__________________________________________________________

quebec-system-management-act

[Quebecnewf]

Very interesting sites. If only my french was better. If I wanted to hire a forestry person to do a( forest inventory) for lack of a better word how would one go about inviting bids on the job.

I forsee this job being done in the late winter as this is the easiest time to move over the land in question. How do they do this type of work and what does it involve. Is it all walking and counting. The area in question is about 100 sq kilometers and all wooded borel forest.

I am looking for the figures on TAC for this region and the approx value of sawlogs and pulpwood on the land. I also wood like to know the best way to harvest the wood with a plan for many years of doing this. I am not interest in clearing the land and if this is the only way to make any money on this project then I will have no choice but tto shelve the project

[SwampDonkey]

I thought there was a woodlot owner association of some sort in Quebec.  ??? Most provinces have them. If you don't have a phone number or contact, try your Dept of Natural Resources office nearest you.

What is usually involved in doing what you want is a forester works with you to produce a woodlot management plan.  This involves an inventory of the forest, wildlife considerations, recreation, access conditions, property line conditions, present conditions of the woodlot, a possible projection of natural woodlot development, and recommendations which follow your objectives and goals. When the plan is complete you may wish to have him locate a road for you into areas that need work, he may mark harvest trails and trees, flag stream buffers in the work area, etc.

The forest inventory categorizes your woodlot into unique stands. These are smaller parcels of trees of similar species (cedar, sugar maple/Beech/Yellow birch, black spruce). The forester will usually have current aerial photos to help him/her do this. These are attainable from Dept Nat. Res. offices. He'll provide a tally of volumes by species (table form) in each stand, also area of the stand is important in this estimate. Usually a map is provided with numbered stands. WIth GIS/GPS software the forester can create a paper map from the aerial photo showing the different features of your woodlot including roads, streams, proposed road construction and crossings etc. The forester will sample a portion of the trees in each stand based on a fixed area plot or a variable plot based on tree diameter. Tree diameters at breast height (1.3 m or 4.5 feet) and total tree heights are measured and he may use a tree volume table for your area/forest district or generate his own volumes from tree taper equations. This will give you total merchantable volume, which can vary from actual merchantable volume harvested due to culls and rot. Usually your forester will attempt to separate potential sawlogs volumes from pulp quality wood. He may even tally and measure snag trees for wildlife considerations.

If the forester does the work in winter he'll probably use snow shoes and snow mobile. If it's a large trac of land roads may be required to get to remote areas. Also, not having access roads may limit your choice of foresters to get the job done. Most management plans are done when the ground can be seen for regeneration and soil conditions.

[SwampDonkey]

Here is a link to a sample plan off my site, includes a one page inventory summary.

Sample Plan (2.7 megs)

[Quebecnewf]

Very interesting reading Swampdonkey would you be open to doing this type of work in Quebec. Trying to put together something for this coming winter/spring

[SwampDonkey]

I'm afraid your too fair away for me to get involved in that capacity. But, maybe the info I've provided can help in some way. ;)

[Quebecnewf]

Swampdonkey

The info has been very helpful. I have found out so much since joining this forum. Some great pictures as well. I have been sawing for 12 years part time now but still have lots to learn.

Getting back to my project . I now have to try and draft up a letter to invite bids to do the project we have been discussing. Would there be any draft copies out there that I could use as a starting point. I'm sorry your so far from my location it would be great to get together and talk shop.

PS  Waiting for the weekend to go and get a raft of logs. I have 350 small logs 6 to 10 in DBH located on an island about 6 miles from the island my mill is on. Going to try and raft them home this weekend. Will post pictures if the weather cooperates.

[SwampDonkey]

Quebecnewf,

I would suggest tendering the production of the management plan and then the timber harvesting as two separate entities. If you tender the harvesting and don't have a management plan, then what will the harvest contractor have to go bid on? Any tendering without a management plan usually indicates a liquidation (clear cut). I wouldn't tender the plan and the harvesting in one deal because that would be like sleeping with the lions. ;)

Here is a sample contract after you have a management plan.

http://www.klondikekonsulting.com/Website/slling_st_tmbr.pdf

[Quebecnewf]

Swampdonkey

Once again very interesting comments. I am looking to cut on crown land this is not a private woodlot. I think I need to ask for two things as this is unexplored woodland pretty well. The first would be a forest inventory which if I understand it correctly is just a picture of the types ages and amount of wood on the land in question. Following right behind this  and probally by the same company I would need a forest managment/feasibility plan to see if this area can be logged commerically and be sucessful. By sucessful I mean long term cutting and managment practices. I want to develop a new forest industry in this area and I want to stay clear of some of the mistakes that have been made in other regions.

The more I think about this project the more certain I am that there is something there and that it can work. That being said the more I think about it the more difficult it seems. I all ready have a full time job why am I trying to take on more. Just the love of anything to do with wood from sawmilling to logging to woodworking. Hopefully this madness well pass but right now it seems to be in full bloom. The only cure is to invest a pile of money and sweat it out.

[SwampDonkey]

Good luck with this. Your lucky you live in an area that the forest companies don't have a tight grip on all the crown land, as is the case here in New Brunswick. The marketing boards put forth a proposal a few years back to manage small isolated parcels of crown land which were nestled among private woodlots. The industry reps (licensees) basically said they were the only ones who were going to manage crown lands and told the marketing boards they didn't have the where with all to do it. The government told the marketing boards that they'de have to deal with the Licensees.  :

[Quebecnewf]

Swampdonkey

Here in this area all the forest is crown land. At this time the is no forestry in the region. There are certain sections of the coast where a small sawmill should work. It would take careful planning and it would not be a big operation. If things went real well I could see maybe 4 or 5 logging jobs seasonal and 4 or 5 sawmill jobs for lets say 8 to 10 months of the year.

What I think would work is to produce enough 1x and 2x material to serve the local markets. Ship all the 6x6 8x8 10x10 out of the region ( these would be 1st quality white spruce) and the price on this type of timber is pretty stable and quite good at this time. We would also ship out some pulp logs . In this region if you are cutting sawlogs there will be logs you will have to cut that you should not saw (to small crooked etc). There would also be a possibility of small amounts of veneer birch and I think some firewood.

We have high winds here today and looks like throughout the weekend .
big storm

[SwampDonkey]

We had that wind yesterday and dead calm this am. Going to be near 70 F for the next 5 days. ;D  8)

[Quebecnewf]

Swampdonkey

If I sent you a private message with a rough draft of a letter for call for tender for the work we have been discussing would you review it and maybe suggest changes ( I still have to draft the letter yet) most of it is in my head I think.

[SwampDonkey]

Sure, I'll see what I can offer. 


Once you have done your inventory, plan and feasibility then do you plan to make a proposal to the Quebec Government for access to this land? I wonder if you shouldn't look into the 'likely-hood' of the government even considering it. That way you haven't got alot of money invested in something they aren't going to give you a chance at. I guess I don't understand weather you have control of this land or if it's up in the air.  ;)

:D I remember suggesting to Timber Management Branch of DNR that it was worth while considering a cruise program/database that incorporated trees larger than 46 cm DBH. The guy basically went ape and said why would we need that, the average peice size is way smaller. I said it would be more accurate wouldn't it? He scauffed and said I have a number of people to train this season and I have no time for this. Well, I said it would be useful for your wildlife people since your doing research on nesting raptors and owls that use those bigger trees. He didn't care and basically had no time. Here you have two departments that should be tied together, but didn't give a Dang.  :