Michigan Tree Farm System

Desmond Jones, a former chair of the Michigan Tree Farm Committee, died on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at home. He owned Centennial Acres Tree Farm and was a long-time member of the Walnut Council, Tree Farm System and Michigan Forest Association.
A Celebration of Life (program & lunch) will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026, starting at noon in the Kellogg Hall at the Sherman Lake YMCA Outdoor Education Center, 6225 N. 39th Street, Augusta, Michigan. This will be a non-traditional event with storytelling, humor and great food. Casual attire preferred. Additional information, including the full obituary, can be found at: http://www.farleyestesdowdle.com

Want to expand Rx fire in Michigan? Come to the burn plan workshop on June 8.

You, too, can light wetlands on fire safely. With training and experience.

Burn plans are the foundation of safe and effective prescribed fire operations. Join the Michigan DNR and Huron Pines for a Burn Plan Writing Workshop on June 8, 2026, and build skills in developing prescribed fire plans that support operational success, safety, and ecological objectives.

Learn more and register: https://www.firecouncil.org/trainings-1/2026/6/8/michigan-dnr-and-huron-pines-burn-plan-writing-workshop

Hey Tree Farmers, Ellie Johnson of Michigan Forest Association is a Tree Farm inspector and she is hosting a webinar for landowners on Monday January 12 to explain a bunch of forestry programs.

Happy ! This coming Monday begins our much-anticipated Winter Webinar series. Kicking it off with our own Outreach Forest Ellie Johnson, who brings this event series over from her previous role with conservation districts. If you've heard of this series before or even think you mightve attended - That's why! Winter Webinars have been offered (for free!) each year since 2022.

"Navigating the Alphabet Soup" is going to explore the wealth of resources available to private landowners across the state. We'll be answering questions like, "Who is the NRCS, and how do they differ from conservation districts?"; "What does MSU offer Michigan residents besides being a university?"; "When do I contact the DNR versus EGLE versus MDARD?"; and even "What the heck is a CISMA???" Tune in this Monday, January 12, where we'll be meeting over Zoom from 5:30 to 6:30p, and we'll answer all these questions and more.

Can't make it? Don't worry! MFA now has a YouTube! That information will be shared following the webinar. If you'd like to be on the forefront of those updates, still register and you'll be included in all follow-up correspondence.

Please let us know if you have questions, and as always you can sign up here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vO4_3ZbQSVGe3qeIaFdMJQ #/registration. ☀️🌳🌲🪾❄️

Maddy "Mad Dog" Kleitch won a battery chainsaw and a PPE kit at the Michigan Forest Association annual celebration a few weeks ago. Since then Maddy enrolled her 120 acre forest into the American Tree Farm System with a site visit from Tree Farm inspector Hunter Fodor. It's great to see Mad Dog is getting her new gear dirty with some forestry projects at her Tree Farm!