A Forester

Guest Blogger Pat Migliozzi, State Service Forester - ODNR Forestry

What is a forester? According to Merriam-Webster a forester is a person trained in forestry. Well, that seems simple enough. I think a better definition would be someone who has either a bachelor's degree or technical degree in forest management or some other related field.

A forester is someone who has taken classes or trained in forest management, some entomology (bugs), forest pathology, and even some wildlife management. Typically, a forester can walk through a woodland and be able to "read the trees" while giving landowners an idea on past land use, explaining why the forest currently looks the way it does. A forester can then provide recommendations as to how to properly manage the forest or woodland that best suits a landowner's goals and objectives.

As a State Service Forester, I work mainly with private woodland owners who have a few acres of woods or more, and provide advice on how to best manage those woodlands. I often will walk the wood landowners to discuss what trees and shrubs are there and how to care for them.

I then advise landowners on how to manage any non-native invasive plant species like bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, or tree-of-heaven.

One thing that I cannot do for a landowner is give a timber appraisal. That is where a private consulting forester comes in. They can give timber value estimates, write management plans for woodlands that qualify for Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) or the Ohio Forest Tax Law (OFTL), as well as administer a timber sale.

You can cut a tree, but you can never glue it back together. If you have a woodland it can always be helpful to get advice from a forester, especially if you are considering selling timber in the future. Whether a landowner is looking for a State Service Forester or a private consultant forester, a couple good places to start would be:

For further information or questions please contact:

Pat Migliozzi, Certified Forester

State Service Forester

ODNR Forestry

8560 E SR 73

Waynesville, OH 45068

(614) 212-3287

Patrick.Migliozzi@dnr.ohio.gov

Serving: Butler, Greene, Hamilton, and Warren Counties