One of our strengths as a forestry service provider resides in our ability to see each forestry activity as an extension of our commitment to environmental responsibility. Our in-house equipment, expertise, and knowledgeable personnel ensure that every forestry task will be performed in a manner that reflects the actual intentions and desires of our clients as well as the best benefit to the environment. LGS at all times utilizes best management practices (bmp) for managing forested properties as approved by the U.S. Forest service (usfs) and state, county and/or municipal requirements.
Good land stewardship begins with a robust and conscious management of forest assets. The United States is a wood-using society. We build our homes, furniture and toys from wood. Modern forestry and botany studies have conclusively proven that a selective reduction, through careful harvesting, of mature timber on any parcel of land benefits the forest, the wildlife, and our society. LGS and its personnel have conducted this type of forest harvest on >15,000 acres of land, delivering quality wood products and resulting revenue to the landowner while preserving and enhancing the beneficial use and productivity of the land itself.
For many requirements, the complete removal of trees and root balls is a requirement of construction (roads and structures) or to allow uninhibited use of right-of-ways (gas and power lines). LGS provides these services, maintaining the integrity of the land through application of traditional and innovative soil erosion/sediment control techniques and traditional earth moving technologies. The LGS job, when completed, allows the installation of the desired structure, road or facility, with minimal impact on the environment and surrounding properties.
LGS personnel were instrumental in the U.S. Army Integrated Training Area Management (ITAM) program formulation. Our workforce was selected to construct the pilot plot (28 acres) at Fort A.P. Hill, VA to demonstrate conscientious management of bivouac (military force camping areas) sites. This technology translates directly to state and federal parklands, where large numbers of people occupy and move over small areas of forested land. LGS devised, modified and enhanced 14 different techniques to minimize or eradicate the detrimental effects of such occupation on the forest, revitalizing and maintaining such areas for beneficial use.
Whether as a treatment for natural disasters (wildfire, mudslides or flooding), or as part of a comprehensive forest management approach (combined with selective harvesting), LGS personnel have planted as many or more trees than we have harvested. Working in conjunction with landowners, state and federal forestry personnel, comprehensive reforestation is an instrumental part of the LGS approach to holistic land and forest stewardship.
Regrowth areas of forest, opened from harvesting or natural disasters (hurricanes, microbursts, tornados, etc.) often become overgrown with invasive or undesired species of saplings. LGS personnel expertly select the healthiest, optimum desired species saplings within these dense regrowth areas, and effectively remove competing saplings to distances of up to 14’, allowing the desired tree to flourish.
Homogenous stands of timber benefitdramatically by culling or thinning out less desirable trees, allowing the remaining trees to become more hardy. LGS personnel work tirelessly to ensure that timber areas dedicated to commercial timber use are the most productive possible.
A preventative measure to reduce the disastrous effects of a forest fire is the planning, layout and installation of firebreaks and wildfire barriers. Clear cutting firebreaks, removing dead wood and baring ground have demonstrably reduced the devastation wildfires could have on forested properties not protected in this manner. LGS personnel have planned and installed hundreds of miles of such barriers, insuring forest protection through such pro-active, non-detrimental construction.
Often, natural infestations of bacteria and pests create a real threat to the health of a forest stand. LGS foresters and technicians are experts in the recognition, sequestering and extraction of infected trees, preserving and safeguarding the overall health of the stand.
