Green Horizons

How should forest management plans be updated to ensure they are still eligible under the Tree Farm program? A plan is as useful as it is current, but what does it mean to have a management plan that is “…active, adaptive, and embodies the owner’s current objectives?” (See AFF Standards of Sustainability; Standard 3, Indicator 3.1.2).

A plan update can be as informal as a dated handwritten note in the margin indicating you have completed a management activity or a short amendment describing why you have chosen to have deferred the activity.

More formal updates may be needed as landowner management objectives change or if all activities prescribed in the plan are completed. Remember to always include a date in any updates and initial or sign the update.

Tree Farm inspectors should encourage landowners to review their plans on a regular basis. A management plan should be used as a living guide for the landowner, so make sure it isn’t hidden away and forgotten in a drawer somewhere. So, where is your management plan and is it up to date?