The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Forest Stewardship Program has awarded a grant to the Michigan Forest Association (MFA) to assist private forest landowners in western Lake, Montcalm and Newaygo counties in managing the sustainability of their forest lands.

The grant provides an opportunity for the forest landowner, who is willing to join MFA for two years, to receive a free two-hour visit from a professional consulting forester. The free visit must be scheduled before Sept. 15, 2009, when the grant expires.

The professional consulting forester for this project must be a registered forester with the state of Michigan and be a member of MFA. State-approved consulting foresters assist landowners with timber management, wildlife habitat management, conservation goals, recreation management and other objectives. This professional assistance often provides a long-range plan for the family, since the life of a forest may span many generations.

"Our goal is to provide that link between the landowner and the forester in hopes that it will result in sustainable management of the land," said William Botti, MFA executive director.

The MFA is a nonprofit organization, composed of landowners, foresters, educators and others who share an interest in wise and sustainable management of our forests. The term "forests" includes small woodlots such as those typically found on farms in southern Michigan as well as the much larger tracts in the northern parts of the state. MFA publishes Michigan Forests, a quarterly magazine that informs its readers on issues and activities related to forests and forest management.

Interested forest landowners in western Lake County, Montcalm County and Newaygo County should contact Rick Lucas, Osceola Conservation District, at (231) 832-2950, or Debra Huff, DNR Forest Stewardship coordinator, at (517) 335-3355. Forest landowners in other areas of the state may contact the MFA office at 6120 S. Clinton Trail, Eaton Rapids, MI 48827; (517) 663-3423.