By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — If a tree falls in the woods — there’s a good chance that Bruce Wakeland will know about it.
Wakeland, a forestry expert, along with the Arrow Head Country RC&D Forestry Committee, have been responsible for Marshall County’s Mill Pond Woods and its nearly 35 acres of forest for the last 22 years. The Marshall County Commissioners contracted with the group in 1988 to tend to the area, that at that time was in need of care.

Judging from Wakeland’s report to the commissioners this week, that care has been given and then some.
Charged with the objectives of maximum timber production and income over the long term, maintaining the aesthetics of the forest and promoting a wildlife habitat that would avoid erosion and pollution and provide walking trails for the public, the group also took on 15 acres of the woods to act as a demonstration to educate the public on just what good forest management could do.
In July of 1987 the group took a complete inventory of the 15 acres and the experiment began. At that time the 4,822 board feet per acre in the woods could be described with only one term – poor.
With the groups efforts, by 1999 the forest had increased to 8,776 board feet and in 2001 was ready for its first timber harvest. The 1,295 board feet per acre harvested brought the county nearly $10,000 and did the woods a lot of good.
Wakeland told the commissioners that harvesting much of the “poor” quality timber from the forest left the stronger trees, that have since prospered dramatically. In 2009 Wakeland reported that they had measured 9,473 board feet per acre in the woods and that it is ready for a second timber harvest.
By his estimates, Wakeland says the forest can produce around $190 per acre, per year which is an annual rate of return for the county of 8.5 percent.
Wakeland’s group plans timber harvests every 10 years for the forest. It may take a little longer to have the harvest scheduled for 2010.
“Just like everything else the economy is hurting the price of timber,” said Wakeland. “The beauty of it is that unlike corn or beans that you have to sell right away, the trees aren’t going anywhere. We’ll just wait until the market is favorable again.”