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The high fixed costs associated with managing small parcels can be spread out across more parcels if you’re able to coordinate your forest stewardship activities with nearby woodland owners. Your forester, logger, or local woodland committee may be able to help you identify other area landowners who might be interested in collaboration.
Joint harvest agreements
Multi-parcel harvests occur frequently in Minnesota. This approach benefits everyone involved, because it’s more efficient that individual transactions with individual landowners and loggers. However, working with others requires clear communication and makes a written timber harvest contract all the more important.
Woodland owner co-operatives
Some groups of woodland owners have chosen to band together to form a landowner co-operative. Examples in Minnesota include Headwaters Forestry Co-op in the Browerville area, Northwoods Forestry Co-op near Aitkin, and the Cook County Sustainable Forestry Co-op (find contact information for these and others at Woodworks).
Woodland owner co-operatives are not for everybody. They’ve had mixed success nationwide in recent years. However, these organizations do offer a number of advantages to members, including reduced costs of a number of forestry services, increased access to competitive markets, social networks, and learning opportunities. To learn more about woodland owner co-operation, visit Woodworks. |
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