Accredited Community Forest™

A community forest is any population of trees that is not managed by a government administration, nor a privately owned forest under production for forest products. A community forest, therefore, is a non-production forest, and may consist of either native trees or introduced species. Examples may include: arboreta, universities, resorts, golf courses, associations, corporate campuses, institutions, camps & retreat centers, and private land. Special consideration is also given to tribal land, and land under conservation.

Community Forest accreditation reinforces the proper arboricultural standards that are appropriate for each category of forest, and recognizes the responsible stewardship of them.

When a board of directors, tribal council, or property owner is ready to make the commitment to conserving their tree population as am Accredited Community Forest, the process is simple to complete!

Get Accredited!

1. Submit application fee


  • Review your qualifications
  • Register for class
  • Get comfortable!

2. Complete the course


  • About 3.5 hours to complete
  • 13 online content modules
  • 9 post-module quizzes--no final exam

3. Provide documentation


  • Tree inventory & management plan
  • In-house tree care specification
  • Proof of budget line-item for trees

Investment Cost:

Accredited Community Forest: $500 per year

 

Prerequisites:

A candidate property needs to demonstrate significant prioritization of its tree population by having the following management tools (or comparable) in place.

  • Tree inventory (spreadsheet or shapefile)
  • Annual tree management plan
  • Documentation of separate line-item for tree care in budget
  • In-house tree care specification or tree ordinance
  • Long-term plan to ensure multi-generational forest

If you would like assistance creating or assembling this documentation for your tree population, we are happy to connect you with a Certified Community Forest Warden who can partner with you to achieve your Accredited Community Forest designation! Just let us know!