The Goodhue Co. SWCD, in cooperation with the MN Department of Natural Resources provides forestry stewardship assistance to woodland owners with Goodhue County.  Melissa Gerken is our Contract Forester, and can help with all of your Forestry assistance needs.

 A forest landowner can receive a Forest Stewardship Program plan for a fee. The forest stewardship plan can involve a number of factors, and can make the landowner eligible for various programs including forestry practice cost share and property tax relief programs . Once a private landowner requests help to develop a plan, the SWCD forester will help articulate the landowner’s goal for the forest. The process includes an inventory of the resources; the forester will examine a number of different factors such as the composition of each stand, the soil types, and the cultural history of the land. A plan includes a number of recommended management activities with timetables, along with management alternatives.

 More than 1 million acres of privately-owned woods in Minnesota are involved in the Forest Stewardship Program, a cooperative effort between landowners and private and public professional forestry organizations.