Healthy forests are rich in species, structures, and ecological functions. At Pekin Branch Forestry, we use conservation design principles to protect and enhance that diversity. By assessing each property in the context of its surrounding landscape, we help landowners safeguard critical habitats, maintain ecological integrity, and ensure their woods remain vibrant for generations.
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
We are fortunate to work in a region with an extraordinary body of conservation science. Drawing on the work of thousands of researchers, we continually refine our practices to respond to the global drivers of biodiversity loss and to the role we in the Northeast play in that story. Our management grows out of this science, but is rooted in the specific places and communities where we live and work.
Placing Management in a Broader Context
One of the great challenges to biodiversity conservation in our part of the world is parcelization: effective strategies must be carried out at regional and landscape scales, while land-use decisions are made by many individual owners with diverse goals. We bridge that gap by aligning each property’s management with broader conservation priorities. Using high-resolution remote data, we map habitat types, wildlife corridors, and significant natural features at multiple scales, and use that information to guide planning on the ground. As more landowners engage with this approach, each property becomes part of a larger, connected network of habitat and stewardship.
With Attention to Detail
Broad landscape context matters, but so do the small things. We conduct natural inventories to identify significant communities, wildlife corridors, riparian zones, and special features. At the stand level we look closely at structural characteristics—snags, cavity trees, coarse woody debris, and mast-producing species—that shape what wildlife a forest can support. This attention to detail allows us to design management strategies that strengthen the ecological fabric of each property while also supporting the larger landscape.
What sets our biodiversity work apart is the way we combine scale and detail: looking outward to regional conservation goals, and inward to the fine textures of each forest. In doing so, we help landowners take part in something larger than themselves—building a landscape that sustains both people and the myriad other species that call it home.