Forest Management Plan Overview
- Do you own 10+ acres of forestland in Virginia?
- Does your forestland currently achieve your goals and objectives?
- Is there perhaps some sort of management activity that could help you better achieve your objectives?
- Have you ever had a professional forester inspect your timberland and prepare a comprehensive forest management plan based on your personal goals and objectives?
- Would you be interested in having a comprehensive forest management plan developed for your property at no out-of-pocket cost to yourself?
Because such plans are beneficial in helping private landowners achieve their goals and better manage their forestland, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has a long established a grant program to assist with the cost of forest management plan preparation.
The plan preparation process begins with a meeting between the landowner and their forester to discuss the landowner’s property and their ownership objectives. After this initial interview, the forester walks the property and collects data on current conditions. This data, combined with the landowner’s objectives is used to develop a variety of management activities for different areas of the property (parcels) that could be implemented to create future conditions that suit the landowner’s objectives. Generally, such a plan would propose and discuss a range of management activities that could be implemented over a 10-year period.
Landowners who apply for and receive a NRCS grant for their management plan are in no way required to implement any of the activities proposed in the plan and the property is in no way encumbered by the grant or the plan.
Additional Benefits to a Forest Management Plan:
In addition to the primary benefit of having a professionally developed plan based on your objectives and a current examination of your property, a written forest management plan provides additional benefits many landowners:
- Certain counties require a written forest plan to qualify for favorable “land use” taxation.
- A written management plan is required to enroll in the American TreeFarm System and certify your timber as “sustainable”. This designation is preferred by certain purchasers who may be interested in buying timber from your property at some point in the future.
- Participating in the NRCS program for a management plan improves a landowner’s likelihood of being approved for certain other grants that may be available to subsidize the cost of management activities the landowner may choose to implement in the future.
If you are interested in discussing this opportunity further, or have other forestry needs or questions, please contact me.
Wilson Forest Management, LLC.
Daniel R. Wilson, Owner
434-531-0456