Pierce Conservation District has foresters available who can provide assistance to small forest landowners who are interested in improving forest health and managing for a variety of needs including wildlife habitat, wildfire prevention, and water quality. Foresters can work with land owners to create forest plans that act as a guide for the management of forests over several years to achieve your desired goals. Foresters can also connect landowners with appropriate cost-share opportunities for non-commercial activities.

“Since moving to the Key Peninsula in December 2020, my husband and I have been trying to learn as much as possible about taking care of the four acres of forest on our property,” said Madeleine Spencer, a Harvest Pierce County team member. “We knew we had a diversity of tree species and were curious about how to both best maintain the health of our forest and enact fire prevention measures, which is why we were thrilled to have Margaret Kreder, a Stewardship Forester, come visit us in July. She walked through the property with us and pointed out things we should be aware of when evaluating the health of trees, helped make decisions around thinning some areas, and helped us ID a few mystery tree species as well as confirming a few we weren't sure of (such as an abnormally tall Cascara). After the visit she typed up her notes and sent us some great information that we will be regularly referencing, including a local organization tracking the health of Madrones which we have a lot of on our property. We feel much more confident and empowered to take care of our forest after visiting with Margaret and are happy knowing we can reach out to her with questions in the future.”

The funding for this program will not resume again until late summer 2023, in the meantime, you can contact the WA State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Regional District Manager Matt Axe, who will put you in contact with your local DNR Forest Steward for assistance. Matt can be reached at 360 825-1631, or matthew.axe@dnr.wa.gov.

Recorded Past EVENTS and Presentation Slides

Forest Stewardship Field Day

Original Recording - May 21, 2022

Coburg tree farm stand map can be found here, and 75-year stand rotation graph can be found here. 

Riparian Habitat and Invasive Species Management

Original Recording - April 21, 2022

Presentation slides can be found here.

Multi-Benefit Forestry

Original Recording - March 17, 2022

Presentation Slides can be found here.

Managing Wildfire Risk for Our Western Washington Homes
Original Recording - February 17, 2022

Presentation slides can be found  here.

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J22301 through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

General Forest Health and Risk Trees
Original Recording - January 20, 2022
Presentation slides can be found here. 

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J22301 through the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.