Forest Certification
Three major land management programs administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are verified under third-party forest certification programs. They include:
- Wisconsin DNR lands (fee and leased) – 1,509,743 acres
- Wisconsin county forests – 2,394,778 acres
- Managed Forest Law – 2,514,861 acres under 46,276 orders with 37,044 private landowners
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 lands and county forest programs are dual certified under Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) standards. The Managed Forest Law (MFL) program is dual certified under the American Tree Farm System® and Forest Stewardship Council standards. License codes include: DNR lands - FSC C006979 and SFI-00059; Wisconsin County Forests program - FSC C006090 and SFI-01617; and for the MFL program - FSC 117792. Detailed audit reports for each program are available on the following pages: