Do you own or manage forested property in San Juan County? The San Juan Islands Conservation District provides free technical assistance to help landowners like you meet their conservation goals. Whether you own a few wooded acres or a much larger forest, we can help. Click the assistance button on the right to contact us and get started on better stewarding your forest today!

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Programs and Services

Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is the term we use to describe the important work of providing landowners with the knowledge and tools they need to conserve, maintain, and restore the natural resources on their lands and improve the health of their forest for the future. This assistance is offered at no cost, with the goal of providing personalized advice and information, based on the latest science and research, to help make informed decisions. We provide technical assistance in the form of phone calls, site visits, and/or forest stewardship plans. 

• ​Forest Health Assessments. We provide assessments of your property's forest health to identify issues with insects, disease, environmental stress, fire hazard, and invasive species.

• Wildfire Preparedness. This new program connects landowners to resources that can help them protect their homes from wildfire. Visit our Wildfire Preparedness web page to request a Wildfire Ready Plan and/or Home Visit, learn more about Firewise USA®, and find videos and reading materials to expand your knowledge about preparing for wildfire in our region.

• Forest Stewardship Planning. Own more than a few acres and looking for long-term solutions? We can help you create a comprehensive plan to manage your forest based on your conservation goals. See more details below.

Outreach and Education

 We're committed to keeping our community informed. We provide educational workshops, informational materials, and neighborhood events to raise awareness about forest health and wildfire preparedness and risk reduction strategies. Sign up for our forestry newsletter to keep informed about upcoming events.

Financial Assistance

Funding can be available to implement forest health and wildfire risk reduction practices. Check out our Forestry Financial Assistance page for more details. 

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Forest Stewardship Planning

 

Our Forest Stewardship Plans provide an assessment of current forest conditions on your property, along with recommended management actions to help meet your conservation objectives. A forest planner will make a site visit to your property, discuss your objectives, conduct a stand assessment, and produce a plan that summarizes findings and makes recommendations. Our planners can also help navigate different financial assistance opportunities to help you implement management recommendations in your plan. Request assistance now to be placed on our forest plan waitlist!

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Our plans are developed in accordance with the Washington State Integrated Forest Management Plan Guidelines. These plans are intended to help landowners meet the written forest management plan requirements for a variety of programs, including current use forest property tax programs and USDA Farm Bill conservation programs.

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Partner Services

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• The WSU Extension Forestry Program provides objective, research-based education and resources for owners of forested property as well as the general public. They offer classes, workshops, and field days as well as a vast assortment of publications, videos, and online resources to help you achieve your goals as a forest owner. Also check out WSU Extension's Ornamental Plant Pathology program to find out more about Pacific madrone diseases, western redcedar dieback, bigleaf maple decline, among other issues.

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• The Washington DNR Small Forest Landowner Office (SFLO) offers assistance to small forest landowners to protect and promote the ecological and economic viability of their forestlands. ​Programs include Service Forestry, which focuses on technical and financial assistance to implement forest health or wildfire mitigation treatments, and Regulation Assistance, which can assist you on any forest practices questions and with the Forest Practices Application process. Check out their Landowner Assistance Portal to explore a variety of topics, including forest health, financial and technical assistance, education, and regulations.

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• NRCS offers technical and financial assistance to help forest landowners address concerns identified in their management plans. Contact the local field office in Mount Vernon for more information.

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• The Northwest Natural Resource Group (NNRG) is a nonprofit organization that specializes in ecological forestry consulting services for private landowners and others. Their services range from forest planning to timber harvest administration to wildlife habitat enhancement. They conduct workshops, provide a wealth of information in their online resource library, and conduct research on ecological forestry. Check out their resources specific to San Juan County.

 

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