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

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Helpful Resources

TitleDescriptionAudienceDocument 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
2022 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.

Community, Community Planner, Educator, GFC Partners, GFC Staff, Homeowner, LandownerPDF
Consulting Foresters List

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.

Community, Community Planner, Educator, GFC Partners, GFC Staff, Homeowner, Landowner, StudentExternal Website
Consulting Foresters List

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.

Community, Community Planner, Educator, GFC Partners, GFC Staff, Homeowner, Landowner, StudentExternal Website
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.

PDF
Forest Stewardship Glossary

A glossary of Forestry & Wildlife terms. Authored by the Georgia Forestry Commission.

Community, Educator, GFC Partners, GFC Staff, Homeowner, LandownerPDF
Forest Stewardship Program Application

Apply to the Forest Stewardship Program.

PDF
Forest Stewardship Program Map

Contacts and map.

Forest, Farm, and Homeowners: Address Heirs Property, Unlock Your Wealth, and Mitigate Natural DisastersPage 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.

PDF
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.

PDF
New Stewardship Plan Shapefile Requirements

View shapefile requirements and GFC District Stewardship Foresters.

PDF
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.

PDF