FSC-Certified Wood & Timber Merchant & Company: AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, VA

Sustainability at Canal Wood

Discover Our Forestry Best Management Practices

As a longstanding member of the forestry and timber management industries, we at Canal Wood recognize the importance of having healthy forests today and into the future—not just for the future stability of our business, but also for the future of our environment. We strive to produce environmentally-sensitive harvesting plans for each landowner we serve, and we use the appropriate forest best management practices (BMPs) in all of our timber harvesting operations. By using these BMPs, we work to maintain compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and maintain our position as excellent stewards of our region’s environment.

Our Approach to Sustainability

Adhering to all applicable BMPs, our comprehensive approach to sustainability and environmental stewardship covers virtually every element and factor related to timber cruising, harvesting, and reforestation. Read below to learn more about our forestry BMPs.

General Best Practices

Plan harvesting method and location of streamside management zones (SMZs) properly as related to roads, decks, and skid trails.

Minimize the number and impact of roads, decks, and trails.

Minimize the size and footprint of decks and landings.

Limit operations on slopes and wet areas to dry periods.

Only cross streams or enter SMZs when completely necessary.

Fell trees away from streams and SMZs whenever possible.

Remove felled trees and tops from streams, ditches, ponds, etc. immediately.

Stop logging operations in excessively wet weather

Dispose of all trash and lubricants properly.

Remove all trash from decks, roads, and ditches daily, or before moving to the next job site.

Seed areas such as decks, roads, and skid trails when erosion is predicted to be high.

Near Streams and Other Wet Areas

Maintain streamside management zones (SMZs) along banks of streams and other wet areas.

Leave standing trees and underbrush in all SMZs.

Avoid disturbing soil in every way possible.

Avoid running wheeled or tracked vehicles along stream banks.

Avoid locating decks, roads, and skid trails in SMZs.

Keep roads perpendicular to streams.

Do not service equipment in SMZs.

Roads and Skid Trails

Plan roads properly before moving equipment to the tract.

Keep road construction to a minimum.

Roads should follow contours and should avoid ridge tops and steep slopes.

Avoid areas such as gullies, marshes, stream channels, ponds, swamps, and erodible slopes.

Place broad-based dips, water bars, and water turnouts properly to avoid erosion.

Minimize stream crossings and cross only at a right angle to the channel.

Stabilize all banks at these stream crossings.

Use culverts or bridges to allow for unimpeded water flow.

Fords may only be used on some streams when stream beds and sides are solid.

Maintain water bars and seed roads before leaving tract, if necessary.