| Guide Picks - Six Best Government Forestry Publications | |||||
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I want to review several federal publications that have been of great help in my learning forestry and explaining the practice of forestry and silvics to others. These booklets are well written, offer information that is nearly impossible to find and are a reasonable buy - oftentimes you can pick them up for free. You may have already experienced sticker shock when purchasing technical forestry books. You will find these "gems" well worth the investment of time and effort to acquire. Start your quest in search of each book at the Superintendent of Documents, U.S Government Printing Office by calling (202)512-1800, faxing (202) 512-2250 or mail Stop SSOP, Washington, D.C. 20402-0001 I will give extra details on acquisition as I find them. | |||||
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1) Service Forester's Handbook
Service Forester's Handbook. USDA FS Southern Region R8-RM 11.
July 1986. 129 p.Although a bit too detailed for those casually interested in forestry, SFH is extremely useful to foresters and and forest landowners. You can obtain the book from the USDA Forest Service, State an Private Forestry, P.O. Box 96090, Washington D.C. 20090-6090 (202) 205-1657 This book, which comes as a vinyl ring-bound notebook, was published in cooperation with southern state foresters as a guide for calculating conversion factors for length, area and volume, area of circles and surveying corrections, metric equivalents, trees per acre by spacing, specific gravity by species, etc.It is an invaluable tool that also includes tree planting guides, thinning guides, hardwood stocking charts, texture classification of soils, erosion control limits, watershed management and herbicide of pesticide mixing formulas, in addition to many more topics. It's application is not limited to the southern United States and can be used nationwide. | |||||
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2) Important Forest Trees of the Eastern United States
Important Forest Trees of the Eastern United States. USDA FS
FS-466. October 1991 (February 1995 slightly revised). 111
p.I have seen this book available in USFS region headquarters and National Forest district ranger's offices for free. Most State Foresters offices can get you a copy if you ask. It has a brief but complete overview of tree identification features plus species location maps. The book contains useful color illustrations by Rebecca Merrilees from Trees of North America: A Golden Field Guide, written by C. Frank Brockman and published by Western Publishing Company, Inc. 1968.) and species location maps. Great for field trips!
3) Silvics
of North America "Silvics of North America" describes detailed characteristics of about 200 conifers and hardwood trees in the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Species articles were researched and written by knowledgeable Forest Service, university, and cooperating scientists. This is a major tree reference for virtually all commercial trees of North America. The project took 10 years to complete.
4) Forest
Landowners' Guide to the Federal Income Tax This is the new updated definitive work on the federal income tax as it pertains to timber. It gives an in-depth discussion on capital costs, reforestation tax incentives, depreciation, operating expenses and the passive loss rule, timber capital gain, installment sales, and much more. This book should be in the hands of the accountant that advises you on your timber investment tax obligation to the federal government.
5) Income
Opportunities in Special Forest Products I really wish there was an updated version of this publication since some of the valuable contact information has changed. In any event, Income Opportunities is still a very popular book and most of the research is still valid. This publication instructs landowners in rural America in ways to increase income opportunities from their forest land. It goes into detail on the money making potential of aromatics, berries and fruits, cones and seeds, charcoal, mushrooms and much more...
6) Estate Planning for Forest Landowners Every forest owner or her heirs faces the inevitability of transferring property. This book can help make forest estate and gift tax planning easier to understand. The book's purpose is to provide guidelines and assistance to non-industrial private woodland owners in applying estate planning techniques to their forest properties. Estate tax, estate valuation, gift tax, forest estate and estate topics are included. | |||||
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Silvics
of North America. USDA FS
Agriculture Handbook No. 654. Burns and Honkala. Supersedes Agricultural
Handbook 271, Silvics of Forest Trees or the United States, 1965. March
1990.
Forest Landowners' Guide to
the Federal Income Tax. USDA FS
Agriculture Handbook No. 718. Harry L. Haney...(et al.). March 2001. 157
pages.
Income Opportunities in
Special Forest Products - Self-help Suggestions for Rural
Entrepreneurs. Margaret G. Thomas and David R. Schumann.
Agriculture Information Bulletin AIB–666 May 1993 . 205
p.
Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What will become of Your
Timberland? Harry L. Haney, Jr., and William C. Siegel. September
1993.
USDA FS SEFES GTR SO-97. 186 p.| Important product disclaimer information about this About site. |
