Utah’s Forest Stewardship Program connects private landowners with the information and tools needed to manage their forests and woodlands. The purpose of the Forest Stewardship Program is to assist private forest landowners to actively manage their forest and related resources; to keep these lands in a productive and healthy condition for present and future owners; and to increase the economic and environmental benefits of these lands.
The Program encourages long-term management of nonindustrial private forest lands and strives to foster and promote the concept of stewardship. Private forest lands in Utah are interconnected to neighboring public lands and impact downstream resources for all citizens of the state. Actively managed forests can provide timber, fuel wood, fish and wildlife habitat, watershed protection, recreational opportunities, and many other benefits.
Forest Stewardship Plans
The Forest Stewardship Program also offers resources to help landowners develop a forest management plan for their property (also known as a Forest Stewardship Plan). A Forest Stewardship Plan identifies goals and priorities for a property and recommends management activities to meet them. In Utah, forest landowner priorities often include such concerns as wildfire risk reduction, forest health improvement, economic diversification through timber harvesting, and wildlife habitat enhancement, among other goals.
Eligibility
Forest Stewardship Program participants are nonindustrial private forest landowners of acreage of at least 10 acres. Nonindustrial lands are defined as those owned by any private individual, group, association, corporation, or other private legal entity. Further, it includes rural lands with existing tree cover, or suitable for growing trees.
Utah’s Forest Water Quality Guidelines are voluntary measures that landowners, timber contractors, and land managers can use to provide for the protection of our state’s water quality and resources.
For More Information
For direct assistance with management options for your forested land, please contact the Area Forester at your local Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands office or email the Forest Stewardship Program Coordinator.
To learn more about Utah’s Forest Practices Act and timber harvesting on private lands in Utah, please visit: https://www.ffsl.utah.gov/forestry/utah-forest-practices-act/