Do you have a Forest Management Plan (FMP) for your property? Do you know what an FMP is or why you should have one written? Forest Management Plans are a forestry management tool that all landowners would benefit from having in their land management “toolbox”. If you were thinking about your financial future or retirement planning, you would likely start with a financial planner. They would assess your debt to asset ratio and help you determine your future financial goals. With that information, they’d make savings and investment recommendations to you. It would then be up to you to make the move to save or invest however you saw fit. An FMP provides that same type of framework for your forest management goals.

FMP’s include an inventory of existing forest resources such as species of trees, size and age classes of trees, forest product potential, water features on your property such as streams and wetlands, invasive species and fire risk management, and wildlife habitat. Forest Management Plans are written by certified foresters who talk with landowners and take the landowner’s goals into consideration to make recommendations. It is up to the landowner to decide what it is they want to work towards on their property, whether it be timber products, wildlife habitat, or recreational opportunities. A forest management plan is typically effective for 20 years or until there is a desired change in land management goals or if there is a natural disaster that alters the forest drastically. FMP’s do not require you to do any harvesting or to implement any recommendations that you do not wish to complete, again, it is an inventory and guidance document for you.

Whether you’re interested in improving your forestland for timber products, creating resilience to invasive species and pests, or increasing wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, a forest management plan is the foundation to sustainable forest management.

NRCS offers planning practices and activities to landowners which help to solve natural resources issues. An FMP is a planning practice offered and supported through the NRCS Environmental Quality incentive Program (EQIP).

If you already have an FMP but aren’t sure what to do next or if you would like to know more about how to seek assistance in developing an FMP, please reach out to Kelly Sippl, Soil Conservationist with NRCS at Kelly.Sippl@usda.gov or 906-251-3064.