The management review process for State Forest lands is described in the DNR Forest Certification Work Instruction 1.2 - Management Review Process for Continual Improvement in the Management of Forest Resources. The work instruction describes internal audit schedules, annual Forest Certification Surveillance Audits, Field Management Reviews, and procedures for implementing improvements.

The Statewide Council (SWC) that is comprised of all DNR Division and Bureau Chiefs conducts an annual management review to evaluate the results of the annual State Forest operations audits. These reviews evaluate the effectiveness of work instructions and areas of non-conformance, and determine what changes are necessary to continually improve operations. The review will be based upon the following:

1. Internal Audits of Forest Management Units (FMUs). All fifteen FMUs will receive an initial audit of their operations, and thereafter will receive internal audits on a 3-year cycle with five FMUs being audited per year, in accordance with a schedule to be issued by the DNR Statewide Council.
2. Annual Forest Certification Surveillance Audits will be conducted by certified FSC and SFI auditors.
3. Field Management Reviews of the Annual Forest Certification Audit results will be conducted for the Upper Peninsula and the Northern Lower Peninsula regions to evaluate field operations and DNR programs. A report will be submitted to the SWC, addressing the conformance of DNR operations with the forest certification standards, and providing recommendations for improvement.