Additional Management Programs
In addition to what we offer at the HKCD, there are several other land management programs that one could decide to enroll in. While these may provide certain benefits or guarantees to private land owners, it is advised that each do their own research into these programs to see which, if any, are right for them.
Land Certification Programs
Land certifications—American Tree Farm, SFI, FSC—are designed to promote and ensure that sustainable and environmentally conscious management systems were used to produce the timber being harvested. The buyers of these forest products do so to provide an end product, such as paper or furniture, that can be guaranteed to have been sustainably sourced. The consumer who then purchases this product can then be assured (upon seeing the stamp of FSC or SFI) of the quality of the management that went into the forest from which what they are buying was produced. Continue reading for more information on the main three certification programs and links to their sites to find out more.
Family Forest Carbon Program
If you are looking to get some additional benefits out of your forest land but are not keen on a commercial level of management, this may be the program for you. Based on the value of sequestered carbon found in standing timber, this program provides benefits for passive forest growth while still allowing for some small scale management for things such as firewood, wildlife, and recreation. See the linked flyer or go to https://familyforestcarbon.org/ for more information.
Michigan Land Conservation Easements
Conservation easements differ from the programs above and instead function more similar to the Qualified Forest Program. These are voluntary legal agreements that a land owner enters into with the State in order to limit/restrict future action taken on the land for perpetuity. There are several types of easements available in Michigan. Follow the link(s) below to learn more.
Note: the information in the first three pages is up-to-date but the conservancies and land trust list is not.