Forest Certification

Four major land management programs administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are verified under third-party forest certification programs. As of January 2009 they include:

• Wisconsin State Forests - 517,734 acres
• Wisconsin DNR Land Division – 1,080,675 acres
• Wisconsin County Forests - 2,353,897 acres in 27 counties
• Managed Forest Law - 2,239,205 acres under 41,875 orders with private landowners

View a table [PDF 11KB] with acreage by certification standard.

Independent, third-party certification means management of Wisconsin's forests meets strict standards for ecological, social and economic sustainability. Publishers, building contractors and other manufacturers are expanding use of certified wood to assure customers that their products are not tainted by timber theft or destructive timber cutting issues that plague some parts of the world. Forest certification helps Wisconsin remain competitive in global markets that increasingly demand certified raw materials. Objective review is also instrumental in improving how we care for our forests.

Certification Standards

DNR and County Forest programs are dual certified under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI) standards. The Managed Forest Law program participates in American Tree Farm System (ATFS) and FSC Group Certification. Detailed audit reports for each DNR program are available on the following pages:

• State Forests Certification
• County Forests Certification
• MFL Certification
• Other DNR Land

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