"Forestry for the Future"
Consulting Foresters
Consulting foresters are professionally trained in forestry and natural resource management, and their services are available to the public for a fee or contract basis. Consultants may be either general practitioners or specialists. Consultants generally have a college education in forestry and several years of experience, subscribe to a code of ethics developed by their professional organization, and have no direct business affiliation with a forestry industry firm. Good consultants have the primary mission of representing landowner interests.
Consultants are in the business of providing forest management and other related services. Their fees vary greatly. Some common ways consultants charge for their services include: lump sum contractual price, percentage of the gross income from a sale of timber, an hourly rate, and on the units of work performed.
Services provided by consultants may include, but are not limited to the following:Resource Management
Environmental impact studies
Environmental regulatory compliance
Estimates of timber value
Insect and disease control
Timber stand improvement
Ensuring forest regeneration
Marketing forest products
Surveying
Taxation consulting
Timber damage evaluation
Managing a forest property can be complex and time consuming. Foresters can provide advice and assistance to landowners who choose to undertake forest management projects that they do not have the time, or perhaps more importantly, the expertise to accomplish themselves. Public foresters are generally employed by the DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and others, but typically must respond to broad public demands, and are able to offer only limited services. Therefore, you will probably want to work with a private consulting forester at times, and regularly if you have a large property.
Association of Consulting Foresters of America, Inc. seeks to advance the professionalism, ethics, and interests of professional foresters whose primary work was consulting to the public. The ACF is the only national association for consulting foresters.
Society of American Foresters has provided access to information and networking opportunities, since 1900, to prepare members for the challenges and the changes that face natural resource professionals.
National Association of State Foresters is a nonprofit organization that represents the directors of the State Forestry agencies from all fifty states.
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