Services
Forest Management Plans
A Forest Management Plan is a 10-year plan that gives you a guide to follow on what to do for the health of your land. In some cases, forest management plans can also give you access to tax breaks and cost share programs.
We also are a pioneer in writing Agroforestry Management Plans. We can travel to multiple states, and are happy to help you get started!
Forest Stand Improvement
Forest stand improvements are practices done to improve the health of the woods, create better timber, and change the forest ecosystem to a more desirable habitat type (ex: an oak dominated forest for deer habitat). It also increases natural regeneration of desirable tree species, timber quality, and growth rates for trees that are retained.
Forest Stand Improvement also includes invasive species removal and grapevine control. We have extensive knowledge and experience with invasive treatment in Ohio, and are happy to provide this service.
Wildlife Habitat Management
We provide a suite of habitat management practices and planning assistance. What is recommended depends on your goals, but some examples of what we provide are: food plots, bedding creation, nesting and brooding habitat, and hunting property layout optimization. Our specializations are turkey, dove, and trophy deer habitat.
Timber Marking and Sales
Morlock Forestry provides a start-to-finish timber sale administration process. We start with a walk of your woods, determine the proper harvest to prescribe, and mark the trees following that prescription. We then evaluate the markets, obtain quality bids, and take care of the contracts. Finally, we inspect the sale and make sure best management practices and laws of the state are followed until the sale is closed out.
Morlock Forestry also provides timber cruising (valuation) and timber theft evaluation. Timber cruising is used to set a basis for future sales to lower tax obligations. Timber theft evaluation is used to determine the dollar amount of the trees harvested without permission, from a professional’s opinion.
Cost Share Programs and Forest Taxation Assistance
Cost share programs are designed to help landowners pay for practices that help conserve and enhance our natural resources. Morlock Forestry can help provide the keys to unlock these practices and assist you with enrolling in them. There are many different programs and organizations you can utilize, and our job is to help you find the best fit. Morlock Forestry is a licensed technical service provider with NRCS and can help you on most government-funded programs.
Forest taxation is complex and difficult to understand. We provide timber cruising to establish a basis, and we work with you and your accountant to maximize tax savings across the board on your forested property. As a bonus, typically, all work with a forester is tax-deductible from the next timber sale.
Tree, Native Grass, and Pollinator Planting
We have extensive knowledge of tree plantings. When Tyler graduated, he was the assistant manager of the Indiana State Tree Nursery for two years and has extensive knowledge of reforestation. We do both bare root and container plantings, and we can also help come up with a species list to fit your goals. We also offer mast species planting and layout to maximize nutritional and cover value on trophy deer or turkey property.
Native grass and pollinator plantings are a critical aspect of quality wildlife habitat. We plant both native grass and pollinator habitat and also work with Pheasants Forever, USDA, and NWTF to ensure your planting is done correctly and complies with any government programs you are enrolled in, such as CRP.
“A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke [of the axe] he is writing his signature on the face of the land.”
Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac