Foresters with American Forest Management (AFM) manage property for a wide variety of clients. With each landowner is a unique set of goals for their land. We take pride in helping the landowner realize their goals. Jon Claflin, a landowner in Maine recently shared his experience working with AFM.

“I began looking into timber harvesting in winter of 2020. My wife and I were considering timber harvesting because we had big goals for our getaway property in Industry, ME, and one of those goals was finding a way to install the first septic on the property in the 81 years of my family’s ownership. The stakes were high because it’s only 25 (hilly, rocky) acres and septic systems aren’t cheap.

My early research made one thing clear… hire a forester! From independent landowners to major operations, foresters are a necessity for maximum return, and creating a future forest health plan. I read a ton and I also referred to several property owner interviews online. There was no doubt that we’d go in this direction.

The overarching reality is that having a trained set of eyes assisting and directing the operation and the loggers is the key to a successful harvest. I live 170 miles away from the property, and I couldn’t be there for much of the process. I decided to work with AFM because they share the same ecological goals that I had. I was assigned to Forester Bill Haslam out of their Farmington office. This turned out to be a perfect fit.

Bill navigated the paperwork and chose a logger who was equally engaged and equally committed to the ecology of the forest. Bill will be the first to say that it was the forest that ended up producing amazing numbers, but it was clear to me that it was Bill’s knowledge of the ever-changing wood pricing, and the various timber market appetites of the area mills that brought about such a successful harvest.

We were able to have our septic installed, and we were able to go so much further into our cabin’s updates than we ever imagined. We even paid our property tax with timber harvest funds. It’s rare that something is such a win/win, but this project was.”

AFM can help you achieve your land ownership goals too.