Forest Stewardship Program

Publication Year

2025

Brief Description

Topics

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Providing Healthy and Productive Forests The Forest Stewardship Program, offered through Texas A&M Forest Service, promotes long-term land management by encouraging landowners across the state — no matter where their property is located — to continuously maintain their trees, forests and woodlands. The program focuses on the development of comprehensive, multi-resource management plans that are tailored to individual landowners and their specific needs. The plans provide landowners with all the information they need to care for their forests and accomplish their management goals. Plans are written to maximize the productivity of a particular property, while also striving to protect and promote the benefits forests and trees provide. In addition to traditional forest products, trees also help clean the air we breathe and water we drink, create a habitat for wildlife, prevent soil erosion and give landowners a peaceful place to go and relax. TFS Response:

• More than 8,000 Forest Stewardship Plans have been developed since 1991.
• 1,447,525 acres across the state have been enrolled since 1991.
• 95 percent of plans have been implemented, suggesting landowners are making conscious efforts to actively manage their forestlands.
• Forest Stewardship Plans are instrumental in protecting and reestablishing ecologically diverse ecosystems such as longleaf pine.
• TFS coordinates and maintains a State Stewardship Committee that convenes annually to address the evolving needs of landowners statewide.

Economic Impact:

• Forest Stewardship Plans act as a gateway for landowners seeking federal assistance programs to offset management costs, with an average 50% cost-share on approved practices and plan acres.
• Enrolled acres are actively managed, increasing the land’s value and the benefits it provides, thereby enhancing quality of life.
• Through active management, enrolled acres are at reduced risk for catastrophic losses from wildfire, insects and disease.
• On average, enrolled lands annually provide to the state $1.7 billion worth of environmental benefits.
• When compared with non-managed lands, Forest Stewardship Program properties provide an additional $543 million in environmental benefits each year

Logos:

• TAMFS