Landowners Joining Wisconsin Stewardship Plan Project

To be eligible to get a plan:

• This must be your first management plan for your property. Lands currently or previously enrolled in MFL or have had a stewardship plan are not eligible at this time.
• You must have between 10-500 contiguous acres of forested land.

Funding is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and dependent on the ability to find a consulting forester in your area.

A forest stewardship plan is a blueprint for how to manage your woodlands sustainably for the next 5-25 years. It outlines how you can achieve your goals and set your priorities for your woodlands, whether that is attracting wildlife, preserving the land for future generations, removing invasive species, sustainably harvesting or more! 

Once we have your information, we will share your information with a cooperating forester that is part of the project and can write a plan in your area. If you have a cooperating forester, you would like to work with please be sure to include that information when you register.

Once you have a cooperating forester, they will work with you to establish goals for your property based on your priorities and include those goals in your plan. The forester will also walk your property with you to establish forest types and management strategies that will help you reach your goals. After they will provide you with a Forest Stewardship plan for your property. Foresters are required to complete plans by December 1 of year they are assigned.

These Forest Stewardship plans can be used to enroll in Wisconsin Forest Landowner Grant Program (WFLGP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). 

• Your goals and objectives
• Description of existing conditions
• Description of recent management activities
• Detailed management recommendations
• Detailed map of entire property
• Description of desired forest stand conditions
• Documentation of a timeline for implementation
• Description of any suggested monitoring activities
• Developed for a specified management period
• Reviewed, renewed, or revised by the end of the specified management period 
• Resource elements are considered if present

• Define goals for your property. Work with your family (or partners) to think about what you want to accomplish on your property. Would you like …

• If you have done a walkthrough with a DNR Forester share the information you received about the walkthrough with the Cooperating Forester.
• Collect any records of past forestry activities on your property. For example, information about previous tree planting, timber harvests and other practices will help the forester evaluate your present and future management needs. 
• Consolidate any maps and/or aerial photos of your woodland property. Ideally, you can identify property boundaries on the maps and be prepared to show or have your property line marked when you do a walkthrough.