The Forestry Assistance Program is to provides an initial contact with landowners who are interested in forest management on their property. Our role is to provide general guidance and information in addition to referrals to other public and private resource professionals at no cost to the landowner.

There are a wide variety of federal, state, and local providers and programs that are ready and willing to help you with your project. Get in touch with us to learn about your options today. 

If you are a landowner with a project or parcel of land that could potentially use some management or you have general questions about your woods, please contact our forester.

​Contact our Forester for a FREE property visit!
Phone: (989) 539-6401
Email: Nia.Becker@macd.org

---

What's in a Name?

​Forester. Logger. Tree Cutter. Tree Service.  Arborist.

These are just some of the names you hear when talking about people who work on trees.  As a landowner, understanding these terms and the differences between them will help you make sure that you get the right professional working on your property.


Professionals who work in forests:

Foresters and loggers work with groups of trees, generally several acres or more.This article from the US Forest Service provides a good explanation of the difference between the two professions.  Please visit the Qualified Forester List for more information on foresters in Michigan.

Professionals who work on trees:

Tree services generally work on non-forest trees, and focus on aesthetics and individual tree health.  They provide services such as pruning, fertilization, and chemical management of insects and diseases.  Tree services may or may not employ arborists, who are tree care professionals certified through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).  If you need a tree near your house assessed for safety, pruned, or removed, you'll most likely want an arborist.  As with foresters, certification does not guarantee quality of work but can help ensure that the practitioner is familiar with (and follows) industry standards.  To find an arborist near you or verify a certification, visit the ISA website.  Please note that there are two levels of certification through the ISA, Certified Arborist and Board Certified Master Arborist.  Tree care professionals may also be members of the American Society of Consulting Arborists and/or the Tree Care Industry Association.   Tree services should carry state licenses and certifications for chemical application.

Please remember: 
As a landowner, it is your responsibility to make sure that anyone working on your property is properly licensed and insured.