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The largest share of Michigan’s forest area is owned by individuals. Some of these individuals belong to an association dedicated to the care of these woodlands, and their owners.

     The Michigan Forest Association (MFA) has about 540 members. That’s not a huge number, given that a couple of hundred thousand private woodland parcels occur in Michigan. However, the MFA is one of the few organizations that represent the interests of Michigan woodland owners. The MFA has been around since 1972.
     The MFA will have its annual meeting on 22-23 September in East Tawas, together with the Michigan Tree Farm Program, another excellent forestry organization. The annual meeting theme is “Great Forests Make Great Lakes” and is, of course, focused on the relationship between woods and water. Naturally, anyone is welcome to attend this meeting, which has an agenda with a mix of education, tours, and recreation. The annual meeting has long-served as a venue for woodland owners to gather in order to have some fun while learning more about forests and forest management.
     Any person interested in Michigan forests can be a member of the MFA. Woodland ownership is not a requirement, although many MFA members are also woodland owners. And, membership is not required for the annual meeting. Locations for these meetings move around state to take advantage of various opportunities.
     These days, most people own a piece of the forest for hunting, recreation, and related pursuits of happiness. Generally, the “work” of ownership is deferred, often with gradual change not wholly acceptable to the owners. The MFA comradery shares ideas and helps owners better understand that this “work” is actually a lot of fun and can be very rewarding. Unlocking this Pandora’s box of curiosity can lead to an obsession, for some!
     Tending a forest, in a manner that leads to long-term improvement and goal-setting is not as easy as it might sometimes sound. There are a number of sciences involved that live under an umbrella of various policies and regulations. If timber harvests are in the works, then there is another entire set of complications, markets, contracts, and other considerations. Hiring a professional forester to help wade through these considerations is nearly always of great benefit to a woodland owner.
     In addition to management and management planning, there are a host of assistance and cost-share programs available. Also, Michigan has two property tax programs for forest owners. When timber sales occur, the special IRS tax codes that benefit woodland owners are often an afterthought. Estate planning and passing-on-the-land is often quite important to many woodland owners, too.
     Forests cover over half the State of Michigan, and families own nearly half the forest. In addition to the many family benefits, these forests provide a wide range of products and environmental services that benefit all citizens of Michigan. The MFA tries to help people to both better appreciate and better manage these invaluable natural resources.
     Other states have similar organizations; such as the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association or the Minnesota Forestry Association. There’s also a National Woodland Owner’s Association. All of these like-minded groups support woodland owners in their quests to take better care of the valuable natural resources under their stewardship. And like most organizations, there are informational newsletters, magazines, and websites. So, if you like forests, consider the Michigan Forest Association.

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Bill Cook is an MSU Extension forester providing educational programming for the Upper Peninsula. His office is located at the MSU Forest Biomass Innovation Center near Escanaba. The Center is the headquarters for three MSU Forestry properties in the U.P., with a combined area of about 8,000 acres. He can be reached at cookwi@msu.edu or 906-786-1575.

Prepared by Bill Cook, Forester/Biologist, Michigan State University Extension, 6005 J Road, Escanaba, MI 49829
906-786-1575 (voice), 906-786-9370 (fax), e-mail: cookwi@msu.edu

Use / reprinting of these articles is encouraged. Please notify Bill Cook.
By-line should read "Bill Cook, MSU Extension" Please use the article trailer whenever possible.

Michigan State University is an affirmative action equal opportunity institution. The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital status or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

This website is maintained by Bill Cook, Michigan State University Extension Forest in the Upper Peninsula. Comments, questions, and suggestions are gratefully accepted.
Last update of this page was 5 November, 2018