The Texas Forestry Service (TFS) monitors 150 randomly selected forest properties in East Texas to check compliance for Best Management Practices (BMPs). The information gathered in the program that has been conducted every three years for the past 30 years provides the state with data used to document compliance and prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from mandating government regulations on our forest management practices.
BMPs are voluntary guidelines for things like forest road construction and maintenance, fire-lane construction, timber harvesting activities, site preparation and other management practices conducted by our foresters on your forestland. The sole purpose of BMPs is to protect water quality from soil erosion and other nonpoint source pollutants.
In a recent article, the TFS reviewed the latest forestry BMP compliance in East Texas reporting that family-owned forest lands scored above 91-percent correct BMP implementation. That score is a 31-percent increase over the first monitoring in 1992 with similar results seen in other southern states.
In the article, TFS credited the successful use of BMPs to a number of practices including using a forester for managing timber sales and other activities and making BMP compliance part of a timber sale contract. Also noted were the use of a current forest management plan, the landowner’s familiarity with BMPs, and using contractors that had formal BMP training.
BMPs are good practices and are implemented by foresters at Bird Forestry as a part of managing your property. BMPs protect your land, the productivity of your forest, soil and wildlife habitat. In addition, they protect water quality, and by doing so, promote a good quality of life for you, your neighbors and America in general.
Our foresters are here to help you with questions about BMPs or any other aspect of managing your forests.
Information on Forestry Best Management Practices for your state can be found at the links below or contact us at Bird Forestry for answers to your specific questions about BMPs or any other aspect of your forestland management goals.
• Texas Forestry Best Management Practices
• Louisiana Forestry Best Management Practices
• Arkansas Forestry Best Management Practices
• Oklahoma Forestry Best Management Practices
