Green Horizons

We wish to thank those readers who responded to the survey that appeared in the last issue of GH. As of this printing, here is what you have told us. If you did not return your survey and wish to do so, there is no deadline. We always welcome feedback. The survey will soon be posted on the Forestry Extension Web site (www.snr.missouri.edu/forestry/extension) for anyone wishing to put electrons to work instead of the Post Office.

Our readers overwhelmingly agree that we provide a good unbiased balance of agroforestry, community forestry and general forestry articles. And in spite of my most verbose attempts, most folks think our articles are the right length. You like the recurring features, such as "The Carbon Corner" and "Preserving the Family Forest"; especially well-liked is "The Bid Box." We are extremely pleased that everyone agrees that each issue contains at least one piece of useful information that can be applied to the management of their woodland.

Looking ahead, our readers want to see more articles on determining the best strategies for managing various woodland scenarios. You want to know the characteristics of Missouri’s important forest tree species and how best to manage them, for timber as well as for wildlife purposes. Money does matter and people want information on evaluating the payout of various management practices as well as marketing tips, and woodland valuation and appraisals. You also want to be kept abreast of any state and federal forest policies that could affect you and how you manage your forest.

Two surprises at this juncture have been only the relatively ‘fair’ interest in carbon credits and estate planning. We believe that this will change, however, as more family forest landowners will come to see the close ties between removing unproductive, small-diameter trees from their woodland and managed forest carbon projects. Also, as more of our ‘experienced’ landowners pass their woodland legacy on to their heirs, the interest in planning for the future today should rise.

As we said at the start, if you haven’t provided your input, as Ed McMahon used to say, "Go ahead. Send it in!" We would love to hear from you.