Managed forests of all sizes can benefit your land and the larger landscape. From a few trees to hundreds of forested acres, Puget Sound Conservation District forestry programs can provide resources, offer technical assistance, and point you in the right direction for long-term forest management.
If you’re unsure if forestry help is appropriate for your property, your local conservation district can help you navigate the options available, free of charge.
Why Manage My Forest?
- Assess forest and land health, resilience, and adaptability to a changing climate
- Implement projects such as: timber stand improvement, native forest restoration, invasive species reduction, and/or wildlife habitat improvement
- Reduce wildfire risk to my land, home, and community
- Enroll in a current use tax program or develop a long-term plan for stewardship
- Create an easement to keep my property undeveloped or recoup the value of timber in mandatory buffers
Who Can Help?
Don’t know where to start? Contact your conservation district forester to talk about your land and goals! Our services are always free and confidential.
Puget Sound Conservation Districts
We are locally led, free, confidential, and non-regulatory special purpose districts that assist landowners and communities in natural resource stewardship. We can help you reach your land management goals by connecting you with resources, providing free forest health assessments, and helping you navigate other agencies’ programs.
WA Department
of Natural Resources (DNR)
Along with managing state lands, DNR protects and promotes ecological and economic viability by regulating forest practices on private property and offering technical and financial support through the Small Forest Landowner Office and the Regional Service Forestry Program.
Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS)
NRCS helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners make investments in their operations and local communities by providing them financial and technical assistance. Voluntary, locally driven, science-based conservation solutions are tailored to individual operations.
Washington State University (WSU)
Founded as a land-grant university to research and improve agricultural methods, WSU maintains extension offices catering to non-industrial private landowners with educational programs and resources including field days, webinars, and the ever-popular Forest Stewardship Coached Planning course.
Technical Assistance Offered by Organization
Conservation Districts
- Personalized site visits
- Forest health assessments
- Application help with other agency programs
- Project implementation
- Forest management planning
Eligibility:
- Open to all on first-come, first-serve basis
DNR (state)
- Personalized site visits
- Forest health assessments
- Fish & Wildlife biologist assistance for stream classification, management zone delineation & habitat stewardship
- Forest practice assistance
Eligibility:
- Non-industrial forestland owners up to 5,000 acres
NRCS (federal)
- Personalized site visits
- Assistance identifying resource concerns & landowner objectives
- Soil survey data & mapping assistance
Eligibility:
- Owners or operators of non-industrial forestland
WSU Extension
- Fact sheets, how-to guides, online learning modules
- Resource directories
- Forest owner field days
- Forest owners Winter School
- Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Course
Eligibility:
- Open to all on first-come,
first-serve basis
Financial Assistance Offered by Organization
Conservation Districts
- Forest Management Plan development
Agroforestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) in coordination with Resource Planners
Wildlife habitat projects
Forest health treatments
Wildfire risk reduction
Eligibility:
- Unique to each Conservation District
DNR
- Regional Service Forestry Program
- Regional Forest Resilience Program:
- Pre-commercial forest management
- Forest Stewardship Plan development with consulting forester
- Family Forest Fish Passage Program (FFFPP): Stream-crossing road upgrades
- Forest Riparian Easement Program (FREP): Easements for non-harvestable areas
- Regional Community Wildfire Resilience Program: Wildfire Ready Neighbors, Firewise USA, Micro-grants
- Cost-share: Planting/afforestation projects, fuels reduction
Eligibility:
- Non-industrial forestland up to 5,000 acres
- FFFPP & FREP: <2 million board feet harvested annually
- FREP: parcel >20 contiguous acres or >80 acres total in the state and have left a buffer of trees per Forest Practice Rules
- Forest Management Planning: Generally >20 acres with some exceptions
NRCS (federal)
- Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP):
- Forest Management Plan development
- Long-term management for forest health & resilience
- Pre-Commercial forest management
- Planting/Afforestation Projects
- Vegetation control
- Riparian forest buffers
- Water quality Projects
- Agroforestry
- Wildlife habitat projects
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP): offers conservation practices to reinforce existing stewardship
Eligibility:
- Owners or operators of >1 acre of non-industrial forestland
- Requires a farm tract number from the Farm Services Agency
- Forest Management Plan is required for EQIP contracts but can be funded as part of the process
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J89501 through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
