Better Ground

Forest Stewardship

Forest Stewardship

Take care of our forests, including the one in your backyard.

Forest Stewardship begins with a forest plan. As a landowner, a forest stewardship plan helps you to make the most of conservation benefits, including timber, wildlife habitat, recreation, aesthetic value, and many others, by providing a working guide for you to use well into the future. A good forest stewardship plan combines both the geographic and natural characteristics of your woodlot with your conservation goals and objectives to produce a set of forest management recommendations.

Your local District can provide guidance, resources and best-management practices to you based on your location. They can also assist you in finding the answers to a wide variety of forestry questions you may have, including: 

  • The health of your forest acreage
  • How to best manage your timber for current or future harvests
  • Vegetation management for forest & bluff slope stabilization
  • Wildlife management in your forest
  • Managing wildfire risk in your forest

Partnerships

If you are looking for a consulting forester, logger, reforestation expert, or another forestry professional to assist you with the management of your forest, consider searching the WSU Extension Forestry Consulting Directory. 

The WSU Extension Forestry program offers a variety of resources and education for landowners. Visit the ​​Resources Library by topic​.

The Washington Department of Natural Resources offers digital books and articles designed to help forest owners, loggers, and others better understand Washington State’s Forest Practices Rules and how they protect fish, water, wildlife, state and municipal capital improvements and other public resources. Visit the Washington Department of Natural Resources website.