Sustaining Penn's Woods Best Management Practices, Landowner Assistance

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Pennsylvania BMP's were established as voluntary guidelines for landowners and natural resource professionals to practice sustainable forestry.

Best management practices, or BMPs, for silvicultural practices are voluntary guidelines for forest management that can be used by landowners and by loggers, foresters and other natural resource professionals to practice sustainable forestry. In Pennsylvania, BMPs have been established by a broad-based task force under the auspices of the Forest Issues Working Group and compiled by Penn State Harvesting Types University's School of Forest Resources.

BMPs include guidelines for several types of activities, including:

Planning
Harvesting operations
Forest values

Many BMPs focus on the interaction of forestry and water quality. They include specific guidelines on working in forested wetlands and preventing erosion and sedimentation.

The practice of sustainable forestry means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

How and when timber is harvested plays a major role in determining the character of the forest of the future - its sustainability. Several programs exist to help forestland owners learn more about harvesting.

Landowner programs include:

The Federal Forest Stewardship program is administered in Pennsylvania by the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry to educate and encourage landowners to develop a comprehensive, long-term forest management plan for their land. To participate in Forest Stewardship, the landowner must hold at least five acres, agree to work with a resource manager, and develop a written plan for 10-year implementation. The Stewardship Incentive Program provides cost-sharing program assistance.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative^sm (SFI^sm) is an industry-led, comprehensive program of principles, guidelines and performance measures that integrate the perpetual growth and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, air and water quality. The voluntary program features landowner outreach and education, promotion of landowner stewardship, logger training and promotion of BMPs.
The American Tree Farm System was established in 1941 to encourage private owners to manage wood lots. The program has a 10-acre minimum for participation.
The PA Forestry Association, the oldest state forestry organization in the nation, holds meetings, tours and seminars, and it administers the Tree Farm Program in Pennsylvania.
The PA Urban and Community Forestry Program offers community assistance.
Environmental certification programs ("green certification") offer independent auditing to determine conformance with a comprehensive set of criteria that may include environmental, economic, public health and social criteria.

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The information on this page is taken directly from the "Sustaining Penn’s Woods" curriculum. This fact sheet has been reviewed and approved by the PA Department of Education.

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