Getting Started with Forest Planning

Planning and Objective Setting

As forest landowners, planning and setting personal objectives is an essential first step in acheiving desired outcomes from our woodlands. These objectives may include Increasing recreational opportunities, increasing forest health, improving habitat, protecting water quality, and optimizing productivity from our woodlands.

The following links will assist family forest landowners in evaluating your desired outcomes and how to set a roadmap to achieve these goals.

Forest*A*Syst

Forest*A*Syst is a support tool designed by the USDA Forest Service and partners to assist you as a forest landowner in evaluating what you desire from your woodlands. There are many resources available including: defining objectives, providing information about the forests that occur in your area, defining objectives, questions to help you identify which objectives are most important to you, and providing information on how to get there. 

Forest*A*Syst

Plan My Land Operation

This app provides users with a mapping tool that assists with identifying specific attributes of their woodland and plan for feasibility and limitations of management. The app is provided by the Texas Forest Service.

Plan My Land Operation

My Land Plan

My land plan is a website that assists forest landowners in developing a management plan for your property. The support tool is provided by the American Forest Foundation.

My Land Plan

Landowner Assistance Directory - Arkansas Department of Agriculture - Forestry Division

The Landowner Assistance Directory provided by the AR Department of Agricultue Forestry Division provides a tool that allows users in Arkansas to connect with consulting foresters, service providers, timber buyers and more to assist in identifying the professionals that can help you achieve your goals.

Landowner Assistance Directory

LandCAN

The LandCAN website is designed to assist forest landowenrs in getting connected with resource professionals and identify conservation programs in specific states.

LandCAN

American Tree Farm System

Forest certification is a growing and important aspect of managing private forests sustainably. The American Tree Farm Program is one of the available programs to help forest landowners develop a managment plan and meet the increasing requirements for certified wood products.

American Tree Farm System