CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Forestry (WVDOF) is announcing a sign-up period for the Forest Stewardship program in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed counties. The sign-up will begin on Aug. 10 and will be for the following counties: Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan and Pendleton

The Forest Stewardship Program assists landowners with the management of the forest on their properties. The landowner will hire a consulting forester from an approved list provided by the WVDOF. After filling out some required tax forms, the landowner will submit the forms along with a Stewardship application to the local WVDOF field office. The forms will then be processed through the WVDOF Charleston office. That starts the process for the landowner to proceed.

Once the landowner has been approved, he or she will receive an approval letter from the WVDOF to allow the consulting forester to proceed with working on the Stewardship plan. When the consultant has finished the plan, it will be submitted to the local service forester for approval. Then the landowner will sign the Statement of Intent and send it along with all invoices to be processed for payment. Landowners will receive a reimbursement of 75% of the cost of the plan based on the set price of $600 for the plan and $6.50/acre. 

Further information can be found on our website at wvforestry.com/management-assistance/stewardship-program, by contacting your local county service forester, or by calling the Charleston office at 304-558-2788.