Timber Harvests

At any given time, there are several timber harvesting projects active on Providence Water forest land. Most projects last for more than one year, from the planning phase to their completion. Harvesting activities follow recommendations set forth in a management plan to achieve certain goals for that particular area and all of the watershed landholdings as a whole.

The process starts with a review of the current conditions of the area to be treated to make sure the project still contributes to meeting the overall goals of Providence Water. The field work during project development includes activities like defining the area to operate within, and more importantly, areas not to include in the harvest. This could be due to the presence of wetlands, streams, sensitive areas, and other reasons. Once the area is defined, individual trees are selected for removal, usually by marking with paint at eye and stump level. If necessary, skid trails where equipment will transport cut material to an area where they can be loaded onto trucks (referred to as a landing) are flagged or marked with paint. Other considerations include access to the site while minimizing potential problems to Providence Water facilities such as internal access roads, culverts, stream crossings, stonewalls, and cemeteries.

Once the project has been set up, a call for proposals to conduct the harvest can be advertised to contractors by the City’s Board of Contract and Supply. Contractors review the project with Providence Water personnel to determine their bid to secure the right to harvest the trees that are marked and implement any other requirements in the project specifications. Harvesting timber is almost always a revenue generating activity with the bid amount to be paid to Providence Water. This method of selling timber is known as a “stumpage sale”. It is the responsibility of the contractor to harvest the trees they have bought on the stump and market them to buyers as they see best. Other ways of selling timber can include “mill tallying”, where the landowner is paid a set rate per unit harvested based on what is cut and then directly marketed. In direct marketing the contractor is paid a set rate to cut and move the logs to the landing and then the landowner is responsible for marketing the products. Once bids are opened by the Board of Contract and Supply, Providence Water personnel evaluates them and make recommendations to award it to one of the bidders. The award usually goes to the highest qualified bidder. After a formal contract is signed by both parties the project can begin.

During the project, Providence Water personnel will make regular site visits to make sure things are running smoothly and following the specifications for the harvest. If any problems are noted, they are corrected as soon as possible. Most contracts run for 2-3 years depending on the extent of work involved, although the contractor is usually not active on the site for the entire length of the contract. They are often working on other projects for different landowners. Alternatively, the logger may complete the project well before the contract expiration date.