Ways to obtain a management plan

Hire a consultant to write one for you. Consultant foresters are frequently not hired until harvesting is planned, but they can be very helpful with management of your property during its growing phase and can educate you and help you learn from other people’s experience. If you do not already have a consultant, a list of forestry consultants in Washington is available from WSU Extension. A list of consultant foresters who are members of the Association of Consulting Foresters is also available.

Attend a Forest Stewardship Coached Planning short course, sponsored by WSU Cooperative Extension Service. You will learn a great deal about managing your property, and will receive guidance in writing a Stewardship Plan, which usually is sufficient for a Tree Farm Management Plan. Courses are offered throughout the year in different parts of the state. Look on the WSU Forest Stewardship page for a list of upcoming events, including the Coached Planning short courses. If you have already taken a course, the plan that you wrote may be adequate for Tree Farm certification, or may require only minor changes.

Write your own plan. If you already have a good idea of the activities that you want to do on your property, you may be able to prepare your own plan. The American Tree Farm System has a template that provides the structure for your plan. Also available is a completed sample plan that may help you fill out the template.