A woodland stewardship plan helps woodland owners understand what is in their woods, how to improve them, and when to do the work.
Woodland owners with 20 to 5,000 acres can get a plan written by professional foresters approved by the Division of Forestry. Plan writers must have an associate or bachelors in a natural resources field and mentoring in plan writing. They must pass an exam and complete continuing education courses in forestry each year.
The cost of a woodland stewardship plan depends on who writes it and the size of your woods. For example, the fee for a DNR forester to write a plan is $300 + $7 per acre. Unless you have a plan writer in mind, ask two or three writers for a quote and their availability to meet your deadline. Private consulting foresters write most plans. You can find an approved plan writer using the below map.
Woodland Stewardship Plan Writer Map
Select a county and scroll the popup window to view a list of approved plan writers who write plans within the county.
- Map
More information about the map
Who is on the map? The map includes public and private sector natural resource professionals approved to write woodland stewardship plans in Minnesota. This data is maintained by the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative.
When will the map be updated? Quarterly. We expect to make updates on or about the first of January, April, July, and October each year.
If you are an approved plan writer and need to update your contact information, please email the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative.
The benefits of having a woodland stewardship plan for your property include:
- Eligibility for incentive programs such as the Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA) where you can receive yearly incentive payments or 2c Managed Forest Land where you receive a property tax rate of 0.65%.
- The plan needs to be written by a DNR-approved plan writer and registered with the DNR.
- Every 10 years, the plan needs to be redone by an approved plan writer to qualify for these incentive programs.
- Having a better understanding of your woods, such as:
- reliable field inventory of the forest types present
- description of the surrounding landscape
- maps, drawings, or photos of your property
- list of management practices to meet your goals and when to complete them.
- Improved health, beauty, and wildlife habitat by actively managing your woods over the long-term.
Plan ahead if you're considering having a woodland stewardship plan written. The demand for a woodland stewardship plan can be high at times. Reach out to a plan writer 8 to 12 months in advance if you're considering signing up for Sustainable Forest Incentive Act (SFIA) or 2c Managed Forest Land tax incentive programs.
About the map
This map is not recommended for the sole use of navigation and its accuracy is not guaranteed - terms and conditions of use.