Writing a Management Plan
Writing a Management Plan
A forest management plan outlines your goals and objectives for your forest, along with the actions you plan to take to achieve them. Writing a forest management plan can help you better understand what your property has to offer, from wildlife to recreation and timber, so you can meet your ownership objectives. A forest management plan can also serve as a tool to communicate your forest goals to your family, document change over time, and be a pathway into a certification program (such as Montana Tree Farm System).
Assistance with Writing a Management Plan
Montana State University Extension Forestry offers hands-on forest stewardship management plan writing workshops to landowners. During the workshop, you will inventory your forest land, establish your objectives, and write a plan to meet your goals. You'll also get a one-on-one site visit with a natural resource professional.
Montana DNRC has 16 Service Foresters located at the local offices across the state available for free one-on-one consultations with private landowners. Your local DNRC Service Forester can assist with developing a forest stewardship or management plan, but to meet the demand for their services they generally limit their time to a few hours per ownership.
Professional consulting foresters can be hired to assist landowners with writing a management plan. Your local Service Forester or neighboring landowners may be able to provide recommendations for consulting foresters in your area. The Montana DNRC also maintains a voluntary list of consulting foresters across the state.
The Montana Tree Farm System (MTFS) can provide assistance with writing a forest management plan to landowners who join the program with 10 acres or more. View their website to read more about becoming a member.
Additional Resources
- Montana State Extension Forestry's Forms page provides multiple resources to get started with writing your management plan.
- My Land Plan, through the American Forest Foundation, provides tools to map your land, set your goals, and take action, alongside opportunities to connect with other private forest owners and foresters.