Many landowners across the Midwest have learned how valuable a forest management plan is for understanding and responsibly caring for their forest property.

A management plan gives you a detailed inventory of your property, including the number of trees and species, the condition and health of the forest, the types of wildlife you’re likely to see and more.

As part of the forest management planning process, your forester will work with you to incorporate your goals into the plan. If one of your goals is to manage specifically for bird habitat, make sure that’s clear to your forester so that they know how their recommendations can help.

What might their bird habitat recommendations look like? That’s going to depend on what type of forests you have, their age and health, and additional features your property has.

They may recommend a clearcut, also known as a coppice cut, which will benefit young forest birds, such as the ruffed grouse, chestnut-sided warbler and golden- winged warbler. These birds need dense, shrubby growth that contains the shelter and food sources they need.

They may recommend patch cuts and single-tree selection, which may benefit black-throated blue warblers that nest and feed in the shrub layer of a mature forest. They may recommend that you do nothing for the next 20 years and reassess the property at that time, which can be good for the Blackburnian warbler or northern goshawk, which both like contiguous and intact forest canopies.

Managing your forestland with sustainable practices will be helpful for bird habitat, but not every bird will benefit from every management practice. When you start talking with foresters about your management options, it’s important to keep an open mind and really consider the advice you receive, which may not always be what you had hoped to hear.

Practices such as clearcutting have a bad reputation, but it can truly be the best management practice for your property. You can always get a second opinion by talking with your local Conservation District forester, whose services are completely free.

Forest management plans are neither free nor cheap, but they’re well worth it. There are even programs available to help cover large portions of the costs of these plans and lower your property taxes if you follow the final plan.

If you’re interested in learning more about these options, or just getting started with writing a forest management plan, reach out to your local Conservation District and ask to talk with the district forester.