Model Forestry and Wildlife Policy

Procedures

Many fee lands and conservation easements held by Conservation Land Trusts contain forest or woodlands. Often, private forests and woodlands that are protected by conservation easements also have management plans that were created in connection with a governmental forestry program. However, several aspects of forest management can be inconsistent with the goals of conservation easements if forest management practices are not properly implemented.
 
This policy and its associated procedures as Appendices provide a tool to Land Trusts and landowners to promote and protect conservation values and ecological integrity through stewardship of their forested landholdings. It further provides guidance on considering different goals and methods of active forest management with an emphasis on timber harvest when compatible with a landowner’s conservation goals and the terms of the conservation easement. We hope you will find these tools useful as you work with your Conservation Easement landowners.

Thanks to the Forest Stewards Guild, Society of American Foresters, and the Association of State Foresters. Partners who assisted in developing this policy included the University of Illinois Extension Forestry, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Illinois Forestry Association, and the Woodland Wildlife Cooperative of the Driftless Area for the use of their Forest and Wildlife Plan template.

Download the Forestry Policy files to your computer to customize.