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Cooperating Forester Continuing Education and Training

To maintain cooperating forester status, each forester must complete at least 10 hours of professional education/training annually (due on July 1 of each year). This training should be relevant to services provided by the cooperator.

Use this continually-updated list of training sessions [PDF] to help find continuing education opportunities. Sessions will be updated as information becomes available. The list is not intended to be a complete list of continuing education (training) opportunities. If you are aware of other sessions available, please submit them to Ron Gropp to share with others. See below to understand what is considered qualified training and find additional resources.

To report your annual education requirements use this continuing education tracking sheet [PDF], also available as an Excel spreadsheet [XLS].

For training reported on the continuing education tracking sheet, you must include:

  • name of course;
  • date;
  • who sponsored or put on the training;
  • number of training hours; and
  • if questionable or listed under "Needs more information" (below), attach the agenda from the course.

Qualified training

An event where a credible professional is presenting information for the educational benefit of the attendees relating to forestry, forestry-related subject matter or subject matter related to services provided by the cooperator is considered qualified training.

Note: The following lists are NOT all inclusive and are examples simply for your reference. If training sessions are questionable or listed under "Needs more information," please contact Ron Gropp for final determination. These opportunities are subject to approval. Attending different training sessions each year is recommended.

Qualifies Needs more information Doesn't qualify
  • Annual cooperating forester meeting
  • BMP training sessions
  • Chainsaw training (FISTA - Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance)
  • Certified Plan Writers training and updates
  • Cross training for loggers and foresters
  • DNR regional or in-service training sessions that pertain to forest management activities
  • Herbicide applicator training
  • Income tax on timber training
  • Insect and disease training
  • Invasive plant training
  • Log scaling and grading class
  • Managed Forest Law training and updates
  • Natural Heritage Inventory portal training
  • Pesticide applicator training
  • Society of American Foresters or other professional organization training sessions that pertain to forest management activities
  • Specific species or cover type silviculture training
  • Most training assigned SAF Continuing Forest Education contact hours in category 1 or 2
  • Wis. County Forest Assoc. spring meeting
  • WisFIRS training
  • Assoc. of Consulting Foresters practice of consulting forester
  • Annual Private Forest Mgmt. partners meeting
  • BIA annual forestry meeting
  • Consulting foresters meeting (Iowa)
  • Great Lake Timber Professionals Assoc. annual conference
  • Integrating forest management and forest hydrology
  • Inter-Tribal Timber Council symposium
  • Lake States LBR association meetings
  • Land steward conference
  • Logging conferences
  • Minn. Assoc. of Consulting Foresters fall meeting
  • Merchandising training
  • Minn. Logger Ed. Program
  • Minnesota forest management guidelines
  • Mich. State Univ. break-up jamboree
  • PFM partners
  • Tree farm field day
  • Tree pruning seminar
  • Wis. Assoc. of Consulting Foresters annual conference
  • Writers workshops
  • Wis. Woodland Owners Assoc. annual meeting
  • Administering sales
  • Cruising timber
  • DNR specialist team member
  • Employee sponsored expert witness testimony training
  • Reading DNR handbooks
  • SAF meetings (general)
  • WCF meetings (general)
  • WisFIRS design sessions

Finding continuing education opportunities

Sessions will be updated as information becomes available. Use this continually-updated list of training sessions [PDF] to track your continuing education hours when filling out the Cooperating Forester CE tracking sheet [PDF] form which is due with your renewal materials.

The DNR holds several training sessions.

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) holds continuing forestry education [exit DNR]. A Wisconsin SAF calendar [exit DNR] is also available.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation holds classes and workshops [exit DNR].