Prior to the start of any timber harvest on Finch-managed lands, a Finch forester walks for miles through the woods, marking with paint each of the trees that has been scientifically selected to be removed by the logging crew. We paint the trees in two spots, once at eye level and once at the base. During and after the harvest, our foresters walk through the woods again, looking for the marks at the bottoms of the trunks to ensure that only the proper trees have been cut.

Everywhere you turn in the forest you’ll find a little something of interest —especially when hiking alongside a Finch forester.

Forester Erin O’Neill, who holds a dual bachelor’s degree in forest resource management and wildlife biology, snapped these photos showing just some of the variety of plant life and wildlife habitat you’ll find in a managed forest.

This is a standing Shagbark Hickory tree. It will provide habitat for birds and bats under the peeling parts of the bark.  The hickory nut is sweet and provides food for squirrels, chipmunks, black bears, fox, rodents and birds.

This is a Trillium, a spring flowering perennial plant in the lily family that is native to the eastern and northeastern portions of North America.  Trilliums are an indication of a rich soil site.

This white ash seedling is growing naturally in the forest.  White ash is the most common of the ash species and also the most useful. It’s commonly used for baseball bats, boat oars and tool handles.

Low-impact recreational leasing is an important aspect of our multi-use approach to forest management. There are hundreds of fishing & hunting clubs and nature-loving families leasing property in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Besides providing an economic incentive for landowners to resist development, recreational leasing attracts people who share our commitment to protecting waterways and wildlife habitat. In the forests we manage, recreational leasing gives our foresters about 3,000 extra sets of eyes and ears to make sure all is well in the woods. To learn more about the recreational leasing program that Finch Paper manages for The Nature Conservancy in New York State, click here.