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Consultant urges timber-management plan as county timber shows signs of decline
Summary
A consultant forester told the Northumberland County Board of Supervisors that many county timber tracts are mature or declining and recommended a timber-management plan, staged harvests and use of state cost-share programs; the board asked staff and counsel to return next month with procurement options.
A consultant forester told the Northumberland County Board of Supervisors on July 9 that much of the county's timber is aging or in decline and recommended the board adopt a timber-management plan and prepare parcels for staged harvests.
"The county has timber that is declining. I mean, it's going backwards," said Daniel Dietz, who identified himself as a consultant forester with 3 Rivers Forestry and reviewed multiple county tracts, including sites described as old dump areas, the Kirkland Grove tract and land behind the courthouse. He said some parcels are mature and losing value, while others are low-quality or better suited for conservation.
Dietz suggested breaking large tracts into smaller sale units, allowing timber markets to absorb product, and following harvests with reforestation measures such as herbicide treatment, prescribed burning and planting improved stock. He also recommended pre-commercial thinning on stands that show promising regeneration and noted federal programs are often not available to the county but state cost-share programs through the Virginia Department of Forestry are.
Board members asked about market conditions and biological risks. Dietz said a decline in local pine sawmill capacity has hurt pine markets and that hardwoods (white oak, poplar, red oak) continue to show regional demand. He reported no evidence of beetle infestation in the tracts he inspected, but noted signs of red-heart rot and other internal decline in older pines.
The board discussed procurement options for managing timber sales. County attorney and staff advised that sales of this type generally must comply with Virginia public procurement procedures and recommended the county advertise either an invitation to bid or a request for proposals; the attorney offered to research how other localities structure similar engagements.
The board asked staff to return next month with examples and recommendations for an RFP/ITB process and other legal considerations. Chair and several supervisors emphasized the need to move deliberately, with one supervisor urging sale proceeds be placed in a restricted fund for economic development rather than the general fund.
What happens next: staff and counsel will compile procurement options and sample documents for the board to consider at its next meeting; no timber sale was authorized at the July 9 meeting.
