The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Forest Management
Forestry Resources
- Forest Management Plan Submission Form (PDF)
- Forest Management Plan Submission Form (Word)
- Forest Practice Reporting Form
- Forest Management Plan Amendment Request Form
How do I find a Qualified Forester to write a FMP?
Qualified Forester Registration
Landowners seeking the Qualified Forest Program tax exemption must obtain a forest management plan written by a Qualified Forester. Qualified Foresters are forest resource professionals, registered with the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, that are knowledgeable in forest management practices.
Qualified Forester Registration Instructions
Forest Management Plan Checklist
Checklist |
---|
Name, address, phone number, email address, and dated signature of each owner of the property |
Qualified forester name, signature, date, and contact information |
Legal description of the property and tax parcel identification number |
Plan start year and end year (maximum plan length is 20 years). |
Statement of landowner’s forest management objectives |
Prescribed measures to optimize timber |
Schedule and timetables for various silvicultural practices within each management unit (stand). |
Description of practice (associated with time table):
|
Map, diagram, or aerial photograph that identifies forested and non-forested areas. All of the information below should be identified with use of conventional mapping symbols traditionally used by the Department of Natural Resources (IFMAP Classification).
Note: If the management plan covers more land than being enrolled in QFP, the stands map must identify the land being enrolled in the Qualified Forest Program.
|
Description of soil conservation practices:
|
Description of management activities for non-timber resources including:
|
Commercial Forest Harvest Types
When completing the Harvest Schedule section of the QFP Stand Summary and Harvest Schedule, use ONLY the key words (bolded) below.
- Clearcut
- Harvesting method that removes all trees in an area in one operation. Regeneration occurs as a result of one (or many) of the following: seed or seedlings present before cutting; dormant seed on the ground; seed that disperses from adjoining stands; artificial planting or seeding. Clearcutting is most often used with species that require full sunlight in order to reproduce and grow well. Produces an even-aged forest.
- No Practice
- No harvest or other forest management practice is being implemented on a stand. Please include the expiration year of the management plan.
- Salvage Treatment
- Harvesting trees that have been killed or are in danger of being killed by insects, disease, fire, wind, flood, or other unexpected cause to recover their economic value.
- Seed Tree Harvest
- Harvest where all trees are removed from harvest area, except for a few scattered trees that provide seed to establish a new stand. Produces an even-aged forest.
- Selection Harvest
- Harvest where individual or small groups of trees are cut at periodic intervals (usually 8-15 years) based upon their physical condition or degree of maturity. Produces an uneven-aged forest.
- Shelterwood Harvest
- Harvest where trees are removed in a series of two or more cuttings, allowing establishment of new seedling growth under the partial shade and protection of older trees. Produces an even-aged forest. Note: The first entry in a Shelterwood Harvest system should be called "Shelterwood Harvest"; each associated entry that follows should be referred to as a "Thinning".
- Thinning
- Cutting scattered trees or rows of trees to reduce stocking, and to concentrate growth on the small number of high-quality trees that remain.
DNR Inventory Cover Types
Stand Type Symbols
- A
- Aspen
- B
- Paper Birch
- C
- Cedar
- D
- Treed Bog
- E
- Lowland Hardwoods
- F
- White Spruce/Fir
- G
- Grass
- H
- Hemlock
- I
- Local Use (various non-commercial or exotic)
- J
- Jack Pine
- K
- Rock
- L
- Lowland Brush
- M
- Northern Hardwoods
- N
- Marsh
- O
- Oak
- P
- Lowland Poplar (Bam)
- Q
- Mixed Lowland Conifers
- R
- Red Pine
- S
- Black Spruce
- T
- Tamarack
- U
- Upland Brush
- V
- Bog or Muskeg
- W
- White Pine
- X
- Non-Stocked
- Y
- Sand Dunes
- Z
- Water
- AG
- Agriculture
- LM
- Lowland Mixed
- MC
- Upland Mixed Conifers
- MD
- Mixed Deciduous
- UM
- Upland Mixed
Tree size - Density
- 0
- Unstocked
- 1
- Seedlings/Saplings – Poorly Stocked
- 2
- Seedlings/Saplings – Moderately Stocked
- 3
- Seedlings/Saplings – Well Stocked
- 4
- Poletimber – Poorly Stocked
- 5
- Poletimber – Moderately Stocked
- 6
- Poletimber – Well Stocked
- 7
- Sawtimber – Poorly Stocked
- 8
- Sawtimber – Moderately Stocked
- 9
- Sawtimber – Well Stocked
Important Things to Consider Prior to Conducting Your Harvest
The following three programs provide certification that management and harvest of the forest is done in a sustainable fashion. There are many reasons you may wish to consider participation in one or all three of the certifications. You may be concerned for the environment. Also, if your plan calls for a harvest, some timber processing facilities may prefer timber harvested under one or all three of the systems. There may also be a premium paid for timber harvested in a certified sustainable manner, although such a premium may or may not be available depending on the processor.
We are providing this document so that you may make informed choices regarding sustainable management and harvest of your land. If you are scheduled for a harvest, it is important to discuss the harvest with your forest management plan writer. When you speak with them, also ask about the certification options and whether participation in any or all three of the options is appropriate for you and your land.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Timber
FSC is a member driven council that has established international standards for the management and harvest of timber and the chain of custody of the harvested timber from the land to the processing facility to creation of various wood products. As a “low intensity” and/or small forest (<2000 acres) landowner, you have the potential to be part of a FSC accredited landowner group, which allows multiple landowners to be certified under one certificate rather than be individually certified. While individual certification can be very cost-prohibitive, group certification is set up in a way that it can be relatively inexpensive or even free to individual landowners. The FSC compliant group standards (which are audited annually by an independent FSC certified accredited auditing body) certifies your forestland based on your management plan and associated practices in the plan. FSC requires that all links in the chain of custody be FSC Certified from the purchasers of your stumpage to the network of FSC Certified companies on its way to a finished product.
The following web site will provide you additional information about FSC Certification.
https://us.fsc.org/en-us/certification
Michigan Contact: Currently, there is no FSC program for family forest owners in Michigan.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
SFI is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable forest management, primarily in North America and is also accepted globally. This option contains a Forest Management Standard, a Fiber Sourcing Standard (recycled content and certified forest and a Chain-of-Custody Standard). SFI places a Certified Sourcing label and a Chain-of-Custody label. To become Certified under the SFI program an application is submitted for participation in SFI. SFI contracts an accredited certification body to complete an on-site audit to verify the SFI forest management standard has been met.
American Tree Farm System (ATFS)
ATFS is a program that certifies that your forest management practices are conducted in a sustainable manner based on a forest management plan that meets the standards established by ATFS. A management plan that addresses air, water, soil quality, wildlife, special sites, invasive species and pest management as well as other forest practices consistent with the ATFS standards are an important part of the program. A landowner contacts ATFS and if the site meets the eligibility requirements an AFTS trained inspecting forester meets with the landowner on site and verifies the standards are being met.