Certified Plan Writer Program

The Certified Plan Writer Program was created in 2004, in response to modifications made to the Managed Forest Law in 2003 Wisconsin Act 228. Certified plan writers are an integral part of the Managed Forest Law enrollment and plan writing process.

A certified plan writer is a private consultant or industrial forester certified by the DNR to write Managed Forest Law plans. When you apply to enter land into the Managed Forest Law program, a management plan is a requirement of enrollment. Certified plan writers are the only private consulting or industrial foresters that can write management plans for this program. The certified plan writer is there to help you complete your Managed Forest Law petition, gather the appropriate attachments, decide your management goals for the property, and to assist you in the long-term sustainability of your land through the development of the Managed Forest Law management plan.

Certified plan writers have received specialized training in the preparation of Managed Forest Law plans. They attend annual training sessions, maintain a cooperating forester status with the DNR, and agree to comply with the guidelines and directives of the Department. Certification is granted to individual foresters, not the company or organization they work for.

A list of certified plan writers is available for download and is updated on a regular basis. The list contains the name of each certified plan writer and his or her contact information.

Certified Plan Writer List, revised September 11, 2008 [PDF, 19KB]

To help you locate a certified plan writer who normally works in your county, you can link to the online forestry assistance locator. Simply choose the county you are looking for from the drop-down menu. When the list generates, scroll down to the cooperating forester section and look for the “certified plan writer on staff” column. The companies or organizations that have a “yes” in this column have a certified plan writer on staff.

You can contact certified plan writers to find information on their various forestry services and the rates they charge for Managed Forest Law plan preparation. Once you hire a certified plan writer, he or she will be able to help guide you through the Managed Forest Law enrollment process.