St. Lawrence County Planning Office

Forest Landowner Information

Forest Landowners in St. Lawrence County control a major natural resource that provides many benefits to people and wildlife. It is important that forest landowners become knowledgeable about their lands so that they can make informed management decisions. It is only through enlightened stewardship that these lands will be able to remain healthy, produce quality terrestrial and aquatic habitats, provide recreation and generate timber on a sustainable basis into the future.

Much good work has been done over the years by both New York State and private consulting foresters to help landowners manage their timberlands; nevertheless, our forests remain subject to threats from invasive plants and insect pests, natural disasters, over-browsing by deer, conversion to non-forest uses and occasionally poor quality timber harvesting practices. It is not sufficient to “simply leave one’s forest alone” and expect that it will automatically produce high-quality timber. The ice storm of 1998, as just one example, demonstrated that intervention and cleanup are required.

Where can forest landowners find information? A good first stop is a web site of the Cornell University Department of Natural Resources: “Who to Contact for Assistance”. This site has links to many technical assistance resources available to landowners.

One of the organizations we would especially like to highlight is the New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA).