CLEOS WORLD NEWS

Oregon Department of Forestry - Private Forests Program

Forest Stewardship Program

Forest Stewardship Program Update!

Local ODF Stewardship Foresters are accepting landowner applications (cost-share) for development of Stewardship/Tree Farm Plans. Applications will be accepted beginning December 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014. Any landowner who is interested should contact their local stewardship forester for details. Beginning July 1, 2013, the new Management Plan template and Guidelines will be used. See the link below (under Forest Management Planning Assistance - How To Apply/Tools & Guidelines) for details.
Landowners may apply for a new plan or a plan update (see Definitions below).

Forest Management Planning Assistance - How To Apply/Tools & Guidelines

Consultant Foresters - places to look
To apply for funding, submit a cost-share application form to your local ODF Stewardship Forester
Oregon Forest Management Plan Template and Guidelines

For additional program details and information on what constitutes a Stewardship Plan / Oregon Tree Farm Plan contact your local ODF stewardship forester.

Forest Management Planning Assistance - Qualifications

Up to 75% cost-share reimbursement for Stewardship Plans written by a professional natural resource consultant.
Cost-share does NOT cover a timber cruise or appraisal
Cost-share must be pre-approved by ODF prior to creation of the Plan.
Plans must be developed according to the guidelines above (see Oregon Forest Management Plan/Tools and Guidance).
Plans must be reviewed and approved by the local ODF stewardship forester.
Minimum Plan size is 10 acres.
Plans apply to rural land suitable for growing trees, or existing rural forestland.

All actions to implement the Plan are strictly voluntary on the part of the landowner. The Plan does not limit or reduce any existing rights of the landowner.

Definitions
"New Plan" [forest management/stewardship plan]:
A multi-resource plan developed according to the Oregon Forest Management Planning tools and guidelines that addresses multiple resource topics based on landowner goals and objectives. Plans are considered to have a ten-year life span [Forest Stewardship Program] unless updated before ten years has elapsed. Family forestland owners may apply for cost share for one new plan per forested property.
Development of a new plan is appropriate for landowners that have:
a. No management plan; or
b. a single resource management plan [i.e.,timber management plan]; or
c. an "old" multi-resource forest management plan [stewardship plan developed before July 1, 2011].
"Plan update":
Revision of an existing multi-resource [forest management/stewardship plan] to reflect changed forest conditions and/or changed landowner objectives in accordance with the Oregon Forest Management planning tools and guidelines. Ideally, plans are revised five years after initial development and every five years thereafter. Plan updates are appropriate for landowners with a five year old [or older] multi-resource plan that has not been revised. Family forestland owners may apply for cost share for one plan per forested property.

Pathways to Stewardship

Figure 1. Pathways to Stewardship

Oregon's Forest Management Planning System

Why a Uniform Forest Management Planning System for Oregon? – These guidelines were developed through Oregon’s Uniform Resource Planning and Endorsement System Project (Uniform Plan) funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region through a 2010 Western States State and Private Forest Competitive Grant. The Uniform Plan project is intended to make management planning simpler and easier for landowners. The reality is that most forest landowners develop a written plan because some agency or program requires one. With a multitude of agencies requiring plans, a multitude of plan templates and criteria arose over the years. Conversely, these Oregon Forest Management Plan Guidelines allow you to develop a single plan that is endorsed by many different agencies and programs, thus saving paperwork, time and money. Many cooperators, including government agencies, landowners, foresters, and non-government organizations worked together to create the Oregon’s Forest Management Planning System.

Oregon’s Forest Management Planning System recognizes that forest management planning is a journey – Pathways to Stewardship -- involving several distinct steps (Figure 1). A landowner’s initial interest in their property maybe wanting to take on a specific project or action that is pressing – such as reducing hazardous wildfire fuels or combating an invasive weed. Landowner assistance organizations and agencies usually first cross paths through outreach efforts defined around mutual interests or resource concerns. Landowners who are just beginning the management planning process begin a more formal journey by taking the Woodland Discovery step. Woodland Discovery consists of gathering basic property information and solidifying management goals. The remaining steps to completing your forest management plan organize the planning elements into specific management planning modules: soil and water, forest vegetation, fish and wildlife, access and protection, scenery and enjoyment and tax and business. Every step completed along the way results in the identification of specific actions that you can take to improve conditions of your forestland or otherwise meet your goals in owning forestland. Completion of your forest management plan opens up formal types of engagement such as forest certification and the enrollment of lands into specialized conservation programs that define a long-term commitment to sustainable forestry.