Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Forest Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Division of Forestry outlines stewardship rules and management options for small landowners
Summary
A Division of Forestry representative said the agency helps landowners develop management plans for timber, wildlife and recreation, that most programs follow a 10-acre national minimum, and that staff can prepare scaled general plans for smaller parcels.
A Division of Forestry representative said the agency works directly with landowners to develop management plans tailored to their goals and that most of the agency’s grant and stewardship programs adhere to a 10-acre minimum.
The representative said, “We will work with the landowner to help them achieve their goals, whether it be for timber production, wildlife, recreation,” and that staff will write plans and give “specific recommendations for how to achieve their goals.” This, the presenter said, can include objectives such as improving hiking or biking trails or enhancing wildlife habitat.
Why it matters: many state and federal forest stewardship and tree-farm programs set acreage thresholds that determine formal eligibility. The representative told the meeting that “Most of the division of forestry programs require 10 acres … national standards of 10 acre minimums,” language the agency used to explain why some formal certifications are limited to larger parcels.
Landowners with smaller parcels are not excluded entirely, the representative added. For properties below 10 acres the agency will prepare a general management plan rather than a formal stewardship plan; the representative said it would “still be the same thing and just be on a smaller basis, still getting the same recommendations” that appear in full stewardship plans.
The presenter framed proper management as producing benefits for wildlife and long-term forest health, saying, “Basically the things you do when you're properly managing the forest are going to benefit all wildlife,” and that the agency works with owners to achieve those outcomes over the long term.
The Division of Forestry representative said staff will work with landowners to confirm goals and produce written objectives and recommendations. No formal vote or regulatory action was recorded in the transcript; the remarks were presented as information about agency services and program standards.
