PLANNING >> FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANS
Sustainable forestry is a process. Think of it as the development and execution of a plan integrating all the principles, practices, and techniques necessary to properly care for the forest. Properly managing a forest ensures that it remains healthy and vigorous and provides the products and amenities that the landowner desires – and it all starts with a plan.
A forest management plan is a written guide to what a landowner wants from their woods and how to get there. It records the owner’s goals, describes current forest conditions and lays out a schedule of activities, such as harvests, regeneration work, invasive plant control and wildlife habitat projects. A good plan looks at both near-term and long-term results and is reviewed and updated as conditions or goals change.
Planning is not a single event, but a series of continuous steps leading to a desired goal. A plan can be as detailed (short-term recommendations) or as general (long-term recommendations) as a landowner desires. The first step is to identify what you value about your forests, assess your forest’s condition, and identify the management activities that will help maintain or improve those values. A forester or other forest resource professional can help in developing a management plan.
FINDING A FORESTER OR FOREST RESOURCE PROFESSIONAL
- Hiring a Forester [Webinar]
- Service foresters with the Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Forestry [What is a Service Forester? – video]
- Private consulting foresters
- Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists
- Industry foresters/resource professionals [contact our SFI-Certified Organizations, or SIC Partners & Supporters]
- Forest Landowner Assistance in Pennsylvania [Interactive Map]
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Forest*A*Syst – a self-assessment guide, designed for a national audience, with the goals of helping new forest landowners articulate their objectives in a written management plan and foster a working relationship with a resource professional who can provide them with technical assistance.
- Forest Management Plans [Webinar]
- NRCS Conservation Activity Plan (CAP) – 106 Forest Management Plans
- Forestry with Confidence – A Guide for Woodland Owners
- Forest Stewardship: Planning Your Forest’s Future
- Pennsylvania Woodlands No. 1: Sources of Information for Woodland Owners
- Pennsylvania Woodlands No. 3: Resources Evaluation
- Pennsylvania Woodlands No. 9: Developing a Woodland Management Plan
- Pennsylvania SIC climate smart forestry resources
- Planning Resources for Small Woodlot Owners
