Natural Areas Forestry

Prior to Euro-settlement, wildfire was a preeminent factor in the development and function of  the Midwest's natural communities. In the time since European settlement, the unnatural absence of fire has led to devastating successional change in these communities. Consequently the rehabilitation of natural areas regularly requires the removal of adventitious trees.

Occasionally such "ecologically out-of-place" trees have a commercial value. DLS's Natural Area ForestrySM  program specializes in salvaging and marketing these commercially valuable trees.  While such harvests are designed to meet ecological objectives rather than maximizing economic gains, timber sales will necessarily offset restoration costs and ultimately allow for ecological restoration on a larger scale.

In addition to harvest and marketing administration, our Natural Areas ForesterSM specializes in providing forestry related consultation to landowners engaged in natural areas management.