Forest stewardship is a general approach to forest management that meets the needs of current owners but doesn’t detract from or degrade the use by future generations. Georgia’s Forest Stewardship Program began in 1990 as part of a larger national effort to better educate non-industrial private forest landowners in multiple-use or stewardship management of their land and resources.
A Forest Stewardship management plan can be provided to landowners interested in managing their forestland for purposes such as:
- timber
- wildlife habitat
- recreational opportunities
- aesthetics
- soil and water conservation
Developing a Forest Stewardship Management Plan
Basic information for a specific tree or forest situation is usually conveyed in a few sentences or a brief plan. This is typically within a single stand of trees and might be a plan describing the steps necessary to plant a new stand of trees, how to improve their growth, thinning a stand of timber, conducting a timber sale, prescribed burning, timber harvest options or insect damage control.
A management plan is provided when more detailed information is requested or needed. These are detailed and comprehensive management plans written by natural resource professionals. This includes an evaluation of the property and development of a management program to help the landowner reach their objectives while improving the management of all resources.
Request a Forest Stewardship Plan
Helpful Resources
| Title | Description | Document Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 GA Stewardship Steering Committee Meeting | The GA Stewardship Steering Committee along with the Georgia Forestry Commission have a discussion about partnerships, legacy, and other topics related to #stewardship in #Georgia. #forestry #gatrees #education #prescribedfire #forest #legacy #partnerships | Video |
| 2024 American Tree Farm System Landscape Management Plan for the State of Georgia | The American Forest Foundation (AFF), in conjunction with Southern Forestry Consultants, Inc.(SFC), developed the original components, outlines, structure, and drafts of the Landscape Management Plan (LMP) and the associated geodatabase. AFF and SFC also worked cooperatively to evaluate and incorporate edits, comments, and modifications that resulted in the final LMP and geodatabase. | |
| 2024 American Tree Farm System LMP | 2024 Tree Farm User Fillable Landscape Management Plan (LMP) | |
| Forest Steward Designation Evaluation Form | Landowners enrolled in Georgia’s Forest Stewardship Program should periodically be evaluated to ensure they are on the path of good land stewardship. Before a landowner can be honored as a Forest Steward, a completed copy of this evaluation form along with a copy of the forest stewardship plan must be provided to the local District Stewardship Forester. | |
| Forest Stewardship Glossary | A glossary of Forestry & Wildlife terms. Authored by the Georgia Forestry Commission. | |
| Forest Stewardship Program Application | Apply to the Forest Stewardship Program. | |
| Forest Stewardship Program Map | Contacts and map. | |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Longleaf Pine | Episode two of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Longleaf Pine. | External Website |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Managing Land for Wildlife | Episode seven of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Managing Land for Wildlife. | External Website |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Pine Bark Beetles | Episode one of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Pine Bark Beetles. | External Website |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Prescribed Burning | Episode five of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Prescribed Burning. | External Website |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Shortleaf | Episode four of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Shortleaf. | External Website |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Tree Thinning | Episode six of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Tree Thinning. | External Website |
| Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Series: Water Quality | Episode three of our Forest Stewardship Virtual Field Day Video series. The topic of this video is Water Quality. | External Website |
| Forest, Farm, and Homeowners: Address Heirs Property, Unlock Your Wealth, and Mitigate Natural Disasters | Page on GFC Website | |
| Guidelines for Forest Steward Designation | These guidelines are intended to set the standards for judging whether or not landowners have accomplished sufficient stewardship management of their forest resources to warrant their designation as a “Forest Steward” and their property certified as a Stewardship Forest by Georgia’s Forest Stewardship Program. | |
| Longleaf Pine Forest Establishment Hub | The Forest Stewardship Program is designed to integrate forest management objectives of sustaining quality native timber, native wildlife populations, soil & water resources, aesthetics, & recreation, over a 10-year planning period. This template provides landowners with technical guidance that places near-equal emphasis of these objectives. It prescribes conservation practices to establish new longleaf pine forests using either artificial planting methods or natural regeneration methods. | |
| New Stewardship Plan Shapefile Requirements | View shapefile requirements and GFC District Stewardship Foresters. | |
| Registered Consulting Foresters Directory | This application allows you to search for consulting foresters that cover the state of Georgia. These professionals are registered foresters within the state and have personally requested to be added to GFC’s database. | External Website |
| Standards for Forest Stewardship Plans & Renewals | Georgia’s Forest Stewardship Program utilizes the unprecedented cooperation of resource professionals from both the public and private sector with backgrounds in forestry, wildlife biology, soil science, and recreation management. Working together, they produce detailed and comprehensive management plans called Forest Stewardship Plans for landowners enrolled in the program. |