A common misconception is that logging, or the harvesting of wood products is bad for a forest. The truth is, forests can benefit from proper harvesting practices that create openings in the canopy to stimulate new tree growth and produce food and cover for animals. Studies show that well-managed forests are healthier and therefore better suited to filter pollutants from entering streams and rivers.
When properly managed, a forest can be harvested several times within a fifty year span. Because they are a renewable natural resource, trees can be grown, harvested and re-grown all from the same section of land for an eternity.
Proper forestry is practiced in the Catskills by individual family forest owners and public land managers who use trained professionals to guide harvesting decisions. Forestry assistance is available to landowners in our regionthrough various agencies and non-profit groups. One of these groups is the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC).
WAC encourages proper harvesting by offering incentives that reward loggers, foresters, and landowners for using voluntary practices to safeguard water quality. Some of these incentives include loaning bridges to loggers and paying for use of erosion controls during and after harvesting. WAC also provides free forest management advice to landowners and assistance with stewardship of their land.
Catskill Craftsmen supports these efforts, with Vice President and CFO Kenneth Smith sitting on the Board of Directors for WAC.