School Forest

What is a Stewardship Plan?

image: DNR forester with management plan in handA stewardship plan is written by a forester. The forester will visit your site, meet with your School Forest committee to learn your goals, and write a plan specific to your needs. The primary goal of a stewardship plan is to increase the use of the School Forest for education.

Stewardship plans are long-term site management plans. This means that even if school staff changes, the steps and goals of the plan stay the same. The School Forest Program keeps a copy of the stewardship plan and gives another copy to you.

A stewardship plan contains a list of your school's goals, the forester's assessment of the natural resources on your site (including a map), and recommendations of how to meet your goals.

Examples of School Forest stewardship goals:

  • Increase School Forest use
  • Design trail network and natural features to promote student, teacher, and community use
  • Improve the quality of wildlife habitat and timber resources
  • Establish or enhance original vegetation
  • Maintain health of the trees
  • To use the land as an education tool through a self-guided trail
  • To demonstrate timber harvests that will generate income
  • Reduce invasive species
  • Learn from the interactions of natural and human communities
  • Protect riparian areas
  • Reduce vandalism

Stewardship plans are site-specific and are intended to be used as a guiding document.

Sample stewardship plans