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Alabama landowners face some unwelcome intruders that can harm timber and wildlife habitat.

This afternoon as my daughter and I were riding around our family land, I noticed there are three invasive species all growing in one spot. I only had my phone, so I apologize for how fuzzy this picture is. If you can enlarge this photo, you will see that there is kudzu, privet, and a mimosa tree growing together. This is the unholy trinity of invasive floral species in Alabama.

In late-winter and early spring many Alabama landowners and forest managers are performing controlled burns on their timberlands. Forest owners understand how important it is to manage these invasive species, which if left untreated, will often out-compete native species and do immense harm to timber production and displace desirable wildlife forage.

Alabama landowners have many resources available to them to help in the treatment and eradication of these pesky plants. Below is a list of sources for information and help for landowners as you do battle with invasive plant species.

Alabama Cooperative Extension System– ACES is one of the best resources for any Alabama landowner in regard to invasive species. Your local extension agent is an invaluable resource for this and a host of other agricultural and silvicultural issues.

Alabama Forestry Commission– Alabama's Forestry Commission has some helpful resources and pictures about many types of invasive plants, insects, and diseases that effect trees.

Invasive.org– The Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health has some tremendous resources available to educate and arm landowners against invasive species. One of the most helpful is a comprehensive document titled: Invasive Plant Responses to Siivicultural Practices in the South.

Alabama Natural Resources Conservation Service– Alabama's NRCS offers the EQIP programto help landowners battle invasive species. Each Alabama County has an NRCS office, and this program can offer some cost-share assistance in treating qualifying species.

Alabama Invasive Plant Council– AIPC maintains a list of invasive speices and also ones that are on a "watch list" that could potentially become a threat in the future. The Council even ranks the threat the various species pose to natural forests, urban areas, and croplands.

There are many other resources available to landowners in their fight against invasive species. The key is educating yourself to the harm these plants pose to your forests and wildlife. Learning to identify these species in the wild is helpful for determining the extent to which your land is being threatened. Contact your local extension agent, forestry service office, or an Alabama Consulting Forester for help combating and eradicating invasive species from your Alabama land.

Hunting land, recreational properties, and timberland investments in Wilcox County, Alabama.

Now is a great time to invest in the property you have been dreaming about for years. Land prices are as low as they have been in nearly a decade, and lenders will make loans on rural properties.

Below is a list of some of the great tracts available right now. Wilcox County is famous for its whitetail deer, the Alabama River, and historic Gee's Bend. Wilcox County is extremely popular with people living on the Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida Gulf Coast. It is also convenient to Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Montgomery.

51 acres +/- at Gee's Bend– extremely plush small hunting tract.

393 acre Furman Farm– great value on a superb getaway farm. It has a beautiful home, barn, shooting houses, 9 acre bass lake, it even has a helicopter pad!

163 acres on Turkey Creek– Good timber investment near Pine Apple, Alabama

35 acres +/-on Turkey Creek– Small tract/ big value

415 acres near Ackerville– great stands of pine plantation and beautiful natural hardwoods make an outstandting timber and recreational tract.

AlaLandCo has many great properties available across the state. If you are in the market to buy or sell land in West Alabama, please contact me today to see how I can be helpful. You can call me about any of these or our other great properties at 334-247-2005.

Poachers are more than a nuisance for rural landowners. The subject of poachers has been on mind for several weeks, but literally hit home last weekend, when a first-time guest from North Carolina hunted whitetail deer on our family-owned Alabama land. As our guest was watching the foodplots where he was posted, four armed men appeared from the woods a mere 35 yards away. He began frantically texting me about the intruders. I was mortified; this could have gone south in a hurry. I climbed down from my stand several hundred yards away and raced the four wheeler to his position. The poachers made a quick get-away onto an adjoining owner as they heard me approach. He was okay, and the men hadn't seen him. I was grateful he was okay, and that no confrontation had occurred.

Later that evening as our group of hunters gathered for supper, I heard numerous stories from other landowners that had encountered trespassers and poachers on their lands. In most states there is a legal distinction between trespassers and poachers. A trespasser is one who "oversteps his bounds" onto the lands of another, while a poacher is one who trespasses with the intent of taking an animal. I learned that in Alabama the legal assumption is that if a person trespasses on your land with a firearm they are poaching.

Poaching is a nationwide epidemic. Missouri reported 2000 arrests for deer poaching in 2009 alone! The fact that so many property owners have had to deal with this issue prompted me to contact a local conservation officer and sheriff's deputy for advice about preventing poachers on their lands. Here are a few of the key points that these officers shared with me.

1. Poachers generally look for easy targets. Land held by owners who are out of the area and that doesn't see much use is going to be a prime area for poachers to visit. By looking for tire tracks on the driveway or woods roads it is easy to tell if a property is being used. One method of prevention I have seen an out-of-town owner employ is giving the local game warden or other law enforcement officer permission to huntand use his tract of land. This type of information spreads quickly in poaching communities. If you are unable to visit your property often, have someone in the area check on it for you. Having someone patrolling your property will make it more difficult for a poacher to find uninterrupted time to do their dirty work.

Posting the boundaries of your property against trespassing, hunting and fishing is a wise move so that people are without excuse when they enter your land. I would also recommend installing a well-constructed gate to entrances from the road and putting strong locks on them. Leaving a drive open may be irresistable to thieves and poachers. Consider adding a dusk-to-dawn light near cabins or sheds to increase the appearance of usage.

2. Who finds the poachers? The conservation officer I spoke to said it is far more likely for a landowner to find a poacher than for a game warden. His reasoning was that his jurisdiction covers 900 square miles of land and 150 miles of shoreline and there are only two officers to patrol it. I figure I have a better chance of meeting a Sasquatch in the woods than a game warden. Poachers know this too based on a conversation I had with a man who has been convicted of 20+ counts of shooting deer at night. He and several others were targets of an undercover sting by North Carolina conservation officers. He lost his hunting license for five years and had to pay nearly $6,000 in fines.

3. What should a landowner do if he encounters poachers? "If at all possible avoid confrontation." was the advice of this game warden. Generally poachers are armed, and they are already breaking the law, so they may resort to violence to avoid capture. A local friend confronted three men who were hunting on his land, and they beat him severely and left him in the woods.

This officer said if you catch a poacher on a game camera and they can be clearly identified, that is a "go directly to jail" card for them. He also said if you do observe them gather as much detail as possible about their appearance, clothing, weapons, vehicles, atv, or anything else pertinent that could help the officer identify and capture a law-breaker. If you happen upon someone and can get them to give you their name, id, or weapon that will be a help to the conservation officer. I have heard of two different Perry County landowners, upon catching people hunting on their land, had the trespassers surrender their rifles. The owners told the poachers they could retrieve the their belongings from the game warden. After 20 years, I believe the game warden still has one of those rifles.

Poaching is not only a recreational activity for these criminals, it is also a means to make money. Poachers will often sell the racks or mounts of trophy animals for a huge sum of money. In 2009, a Minnesota man claimed to have arrowed what would have been a world-record 8-point whitetail. Further evidence revealed the animal had been shot with a rifle. He was convicted of poaching and pled guilty to lesser charges. It was reported that a sporting goods store offered the Minnesota DNR $200,000 for the antlers.

Poachers violate many rights of landowners, and potentially pose a threat to their lives. Safety is by far the most important concern when dealing with poachers. Conservation departments in many states are trying to find ways to battle this blight, and 35 states have teamed up to form the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact which helps make sure that poachers who are caught breaking the law are brought to justice throughout the country. Texas has a good program called "Operation Game Thief" where they have a mobile "Wall of Shame"display of animals taken illegally. Minnesota had a similar display, but in a cruel twist of irony, thieves stole their DNR's "Wall of Shame". Conservation officials across the nation have taken a hard line against poachers in recent years, handing out stiff penalties for these crimes. I was surprised at how severe when I read Outdoor Life's recent article about the "50 Worst Poaching Fines Ever".

How to Contact the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Alabama has a program called Operation Game Watch with a hotline setup for you to call and report poaching 24 hours/ 7 days per week. The number is 1-800-272-GAME. In addition Alabama has recently become one of the first states in the nation that allows citizens to report game violations via a text message. You simply text "gamewatch" to 847411 to report the violation. Operation Game Watch is a partnership between the DCNR and the Alabama Wildlife Federation. Go ahead and load the number in your cell phone now, and you will have it in the event that you need to reach them in the future.

The bottom line is protecting the lives and livelihoods of private landowners. To get a good grasp on the laws of our state, I would recommend contacting your local game warden. During a 15 minute conversation I gained some helpful insights about how to prevent poachers from invading our land again. You will also have rapport with the officer should you ever encounter an issue with poachers or trespassers. Those officers will be glad to assist you in protecting your land, and will welcome any help you can provide as they do their job.

Everyone who owns Alabama hunting land, timberland, recreational property, or any wildlife enthusiast must get a copy of "Managing Wildlife" presented by the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

This book is a compilation of a seemingly endless supply of useful information for land owners or wildlife enthusiasts. The book has chapters devoted to managing and improving habitat for whitetail deer, turkeys, small game, water fowl, non-game animals, and many other topics of interest to landowners. The chapters are filled with practical, cost-efficient, and well-researched insights into making your land the most conducive for various species.

 This book is well-balanced for those who want more than a basic overview of wildlife-related issues, but is not as tedious as reading research papers. Over 550 pages filled with tips, hints, photographs, and insights will be sure to entertain and educate anyone who has an interest in improving the wildlife populations on your property.

Improving wildlife habitat and establishing healthier populations is also a way to add value to your property. Many of these improvements can be made for next to free, allowing you to build some sweat equity in your land.

This book is a must-have and would make a great gift for those who love land and wildlife. I received a copy for Christmas this year, and have been enthralled with this read. I highly recommend it to any Alabama landowner or wildlife enthusiast.

Don't just list your rural land with an agent in 2011, sell it! If you own rural land in Alabama and are thinking of putting the property on the market, here are a few things you can do to increase the odds of a sell in the new year.

I believe that in the current market of rural land sales, at least in Alabama, there are two main considerations that will help you sell your land: price and marketing.

1. Choose the right listing agent. Do your homework when selecting an agent to list your rural property. Interview a couple of prospects and ask them questions about properties in your specific market. You want an agent that has the pulse of the rural land market in your area.

In Alabama residential agents are allowed to sell rural tracts, but not all of them have the expertise to guide you to a successful close. Hire a land professional when selling rural land. I have had residential agents ask me what a "perc test" is because their client wanted to know if the property was suitable for building a home. If you are dealing with an agent in matters of rural land and they don't know about "perc tests", you need to find a new agent.

People ask me if I list houses. I tell them emphatically that I would make a horrible residential agent. If they could hear how much my wife gets onto me for wearing muddy shoes into my house, they would know what a bad decision that would be. I focus on what I know. Find an agent that does the same.

2. Pricing– Buyers in this market are extremely savvy compared with purchasers from a few years ago. People are spending time researching prospective properties, comparing prices, and seem to understand more about the rural land market in general. They are educating themselves on all aspects of a deal by reading articles on websites like landthink.com.

In this market it is important to list your property at the right price as soon as it comes on the market. I have heard numerous times, "Let's price it here and see what happens." The problem with the "wait and see" mentality is that it adds days on the market, and often there is a stigma attached to hearing that a property has been on the market for 18 to 24 months. Prospective buyers want to know, "What is wrong with that land for it to be on the market that long?"

It is better to come out of the gate with a fair and accurate price, than to try to test the waters with an unjustifiably high pricetag. I tell my clients that we will know within a few months what the market thinks about our price, because I can guarantee their property will get exposure to buyers. How buyers respond shows me what they think of the value relative to the price. We need to be prepared to adjust the price according to what the market dictates.

3. Marketing– Exposure is everything right now. Your land needs to be in front of every potential buyer of rural land to make sure that you get the best chance at making a sale. Agents need to have a multi-pronged strategy of marketing your land. The most essential element in a marketing plan is how extensively the property will be advertised on the Internet.

Recent National Association of Realtor and Landthink.com statistics reveal that over 85% of land buyers begin their property search online. Your agent needs to spread a wide net to catch the attention of everyone who is looking for properties similar to yours. There are websites devoted exclusively to advertising rural land, and your tract needs to be on these sites.

Ask an agent how they will advertise your land. Then find out what specific land sites your property will be on. You will get the most exposure for rural land on landsofamerica.com, landwatch.com, and landflip.com. Additionally it will help if you choose an agent that has a web log or blog about rural land in your general area. You want someone who knows how to be an evangelist for your land.

These are some key considerations for getting your land on the "sold" list in 2011. Don't just list it, sell it. If you need help selling your rural land in Alabama, please contact me.  AlaLandCo has the "know-how" and the tools to help you sell your land, even in a slow market. Trust Alabama's land professionals with your next land transaction.