How to start: Step by step to managing pine timber | #145
Wild Turkey Science
Charlotte Nowak
5.0 • 584 Ratings
🗓️ 18 August 2025
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, we are joined by forest manager Michael Heatherly who walks us through the steps landowners should take when managing pine timber on their properties.
Michael Heatherly mheatherly@sizemore1949.com
Sizemore & Sizemore https://sizemoretimber.com/
Resources:
Association of Consulting Foresters
00:00 Introduction to Forest Management and Wildlife Objectives
03:12 Understanding Landowner Objectives and Initial Steps
05:59 The Role of Thinning and Clear Cutting in Habitat Management
09:03 Timber Harvesting: Economic Considerations and Market Dynamics
11:45 Long-Term Management Strategies for Landowners
14:59 Navigating Timber Sales and Contracts
17:45 Ensuring Compliance and Quality During Harvesting
20:41 The Importance of Consulting Foresters
23:33 Building Long-Term Relationships with Landowners
36:43 Maximizing Timber Revenue
39:30 Landowner-Forester Collaboration
44:30 Navigating Market Challenges
50:26 Best Practices for Thinning
54:24 The Importance of Professional Guidance
59:22 Finding the Right Forester
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Produced & edited by Charlotte Nowak
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | if you do that in a pine stand this fall and then followed up with a prescribed burn, |
| 0:06.5 | you're going to love what you see come springtime and it's going to be a whole lot better going |
| 0:11.3 | forward. I think just having a forester looking out for your property on your behalf because |
| 0:17.1 | financially, you know, it can have a big impact on the decisions you make. |
| 0:21.4 | And so you're planting and managing timber now for the next 25 plus years. |
| 0:26.1 | So I think it's important to have somebody that's kind of looking out for you and helping |
| 0:29.6 | you make those decisions and understanding those prescriptions and understanding what the |
| 0:34.1 | prices are and the different application methods and everything. |
| 0:37.1 | It's just good to have somebody that's kind of on your side, you know, helping you walk through all that. |
| 0:47.2 | Welcome to Wild Turkey Science, a podcast made possible by Turkeys for Tomorrow. |
| 0:57.1 | I'm Dr. Marcus Lashley, Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Florida. |
| 1:02.8 | And I'm Dr. Will Gulsby, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management at Auburn University. |
| 1:08.8 | We're both lifelong hunters and devoted scientists who are |
| 1:11.9 | passionate about hunting, managing, and researching wild turkeys. In this podcast, we'll explore |
| 1:17.8 | turkey research, speak to the experts in the field, and address the difficult questions related |
| 1:23.5 | to wild turkey ecology and management. Our goal is to serve as your connection to wild turkey science. |
| 1:37.3 | This is going to be a really good one today, though, y'all, I think. |
| 1:40.6 | I mean, you know, we've been talking a lot about forest management lately, this |
| 1:45.1 | relevant to the landowner. And we're going to continue with that theme today with Michael |
| 1:51.5 | Heatherly, an awesome, fantastic guest that we have here. He's a, he's a forester with |
| 1:57.2 | Seismore and Seismore almost said what you asked me not to. But Michael, tell us a little bit about what you do in that role and we'll get into it. |
| 2:05.7 | Yeah, first I appreciate having the opportunity to come on here. |
... |
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