Network News: Inspectors Archive  filter by category: Certification

Required Sample 2019 End of Year Update

See where your state stands in this 2019 required sample update. 

Required Sample 2019 Summer Update

See where your state stands in this 2019 required sample update. The inspections for this sample are due December 9th, 2019.

New Tree Farmer Certificate Updated

The American Tree Farm System sends a welcome packet and certificate to all newly enrolled Tree Farmers each month. The landowner certificate template has recently been updated and is now available!

Countdown to NLC

We are incredibly excited about the opportunities ahead of us in 2019 as we find ways to engage more family forest owners in active stewardship through the American Tree Farm System (ATFS). Learn more about this year's upcoming NLC. 

AFF Standards Review Process to Begin in 2019

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is aligning its standard revision process with the new revision process adopted by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Learn more about the PEFC process. 

2019 Required Sample Available in ATFS Database

2019 Required Sample Available in ATFS Database

The annual required and priority pioneer sample is now available for viewing in the database. For chairs and administrators, the report can be found under Tree Farm reports. The deadline for submission and approval of these inspections is December 9, 2019.

Required Sample 2018 Final Update

Read about completion of the 2018 required sample for the American Tree Farm System

Online Refresher Still Available

Online Refresher Still Available
If your inspector credentials are going to expire soon (or have expired but you've taken the 2015-2020 Standards training), you may renew them for until 2020 by taking the AFF Standards Online Refresher.
There are 4 required training modules and quizzes to bring you up to speed with the 2015-2020 Standards of Sustainability. A special note if you have already taken the online refresher: You need to reset your training, prior to retaking it, in order for the latest training to be recorded. Instructions for doing this can be found on the training page. 

Standards Highlight: Standard 5 – Fish, Wildlife, Biodiversity and Forest Health

Standards Highlight: Standard 5 – Fish, Wildlife, Biodiversity and Forest Health

The Standards require management plans to be active and adaptive. While many foresters focus on ensuring management recommendations meet this requirement, remember that all the elements of the Standards need to be reviewed routinely. Specific to Standard 5, forest health conditions change, new T&E species are listed that might impact your landowners, and these species can move!

Inspector's Corner 2018

Highlighting the 2018 Assessment Findings

 
Field visits for the 2018 third-party assessment have officially wrapped up. Thank you to the states that participated and helped to ensure a smooth process. While many great practices were highlighted, the assessment identified a few areas that needed improvement. The non-compliance of Best Management Practices (BMPs) as well as incorrect content located in a few management plans were both noted. However, thanks to inspectors and state committee members, these issues were quickly addressed and actions to resolve are underway. 

Working with you to Strengthen, Grow and Increase the Impact of ATFS

I am reaching out to you to share the results of the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) assessment we began a year ago. Thank you for your participation in this important fact-finding undertaking. We hope you will continue to be involved in this effort as we work to develop an implementation framework that will strengthen, grow and increase the impact of Tree Farm. 

New Inspector Facilitator Materials Available Online

New Inspector Facilitator Materials Available Online

We have made some recent updates to our ATFS Inspector Training Workshop Facilitation materials that are now available online in Leaders Only. We are always interested in any feedback you may have to better provide support for all of your efforts. Please keep us posted if you would like to see any additional materials made available or changes made to existing information and we will do our best to accommodate these requests. 

Required Sample 2017 Fall Update

See where your state stands in this 2017 required sample update. The inspections for this sample are due December 8th, 2017.

National Database Clean up

The American Tree Farm System is dedicated to maintaining the credibility of the program while minimizing the administrative burden that it can bring. Earlier this year, we began implementing a two-year database cleanup project in partnership with Edge Research. This project aims at reaching out to ATFS landowners and updating crucial data like contact, property and interest information.

Standards Highlight: Standard 1

ATFS Standard 1

When you visit Tree Farmers, please ensure that management plans are fully in conformance with the ATFS 2015-2020 Standards and all of the required resource elements are addressed

Required Sample 2017 Summer Update

See where your state stands in this 2017 required sample update. The inspections for this sample are due December 8th, 2017.

Greetings from the field!

We are in the midst of the 2017 third-party field visits with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In April, PwC field auditors, AFF staff and state committee representatives visited Tree Farms in North Carolina and South Carolina. Tree Farmers in Colorado were visited in May, and the Maryland committee is hosting the assessment team this week. The field visits will conclude in Maine and Montana at the end of this month. 

Update from the Field

Regular field inspections are crucial to the viability of the ATFS program and often serve as the primary engagement a landowner has with the ATFS program. First and foremost, as an ATFS Inspecting Forester, thank you for your efforts in working with Tree Farmers to continue their sustainable forest management practices. Second, please help us maintain a credible program, and take full advantage of your interaction with the landowner, by thoroughly documenting your visit using the 004 inspection form. 

Assessment and Certification Update

At the NLC, we announced the 2018 Assessment states: Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Virginia. We look forward to working with these committees throughout the assessment process.

2017 Assessment Update

Last month, representatives from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and ATFS met for opening meetings with the state committees in Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Montana, North Carolina, and South Carolina to begin the 2018 assessment process. 

Introducing the New Inspection (004) Form Course

In addition to the online inspector training refresher available online in the ATFS Database, Inspectors can now access the newest learning module of the inspector training – the Inspection (004) Form. 

Standard 8: Forest Product Harvests and Other Activities

When conducting forestry activities, landowners must ensure that their actions and those actions taken on their behalf are in conformance with both the landowner’s objectives and the ATFS Standards. In order to safeguard landowners from liability risks and protect their assets, we encourage landowners to work with qualified natural resource professionals and contractors and review the Standards before planning management activities. If the landowner’s objectives do not specify directives as to harvest, utilization and removals, then regional norms and accepted practices are expected

2016 Required Sample Update

On-the-ground inspections with an ATFS Inspector provide the greatest value to Tree Farmers enrolled in ATFS. To help ensure the credibility of ATFS, every year we ask state programs to complete a number of “required sample” inspections. 

Standard 5: Forest Health

Standard 5.3 - Forest Health

Indicator 5.3.1 states that the landowner should make practical efforts to promote forest health, including prevention, control or response to disturbances such as wildland fire, invasive species and other pests, pathogens or unwanted vegetation, to achieve specific management objectives.

Standards Highlight 4: Air, Water, and Soil Protection

According to the U.S. Forest Service, private forested lands are essential for about two-thirds of our drinking water. Therefore, managing land with water quality in mind is critical. Following the passage of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s, most states developed best management practices (BMPs) to help landowners safeguard water quality by controlling pollution and other threats arising from forestry activities. 

Stumped August 2016

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When Should a Management Plan Be Updated?

Notes From The Field

The 2016 third-party field assessments with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) concluded on June 22^nd. This year, eight states were visited: Arkansas and Texas for the Southern Regional Certificate, Pennsylvania and Vermont for the Northeast Regional Certificate, and California, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming for the West-Central Regional Certificate. Thank you to all of the state committee members and volunteers who helped make this process a success. 

Standards Highlight: Maps

The ATFS 2015-2020 Standards require that landowners have a map, depicting significant features such as roads, water features, timber stands, special sites, and other features. During your inspection process, please verify that the Tree Farm map meets these requirements. 

2016 Third Party Assessment Underway

The 2016 third-party assessment with PriceWaterhouseCoopers is underway, which included a review of the 2015 required sample inspections for those states undergoing assessment this year. Here are some noted best practices and reminders from the review.

Stumped June 2016

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a Forest of Recognized Importance (FORI) and a Special Site?

A New Direction: State's Voice, State's Choice

During the past several years, the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) community has engaged in a process of testing, listening and learning. This process has included piloting new models, examining our third-party assessment results and reviewing market trend analysis and research by the U.S. Forest Service and others. We have also engaged in many discussions with landowners, state Tree Farm committee members, ATFS inspecting foresters, state and federal agencies, and partners in the forest industry and the conservation community across the country.

ATFS Standards Under Review

The ATFS Standards of Sustainability are the basis for the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) program and must be met for a property to become a Tree Farm. These standards are under review in 2014 by the Independent Standards Review Panel (ISRP).

The Making of a Plan: More than the Sum of its Parts

Forest management plans are central to the concept of sustainable forestry. These documents encompass not only management goals and pathways for achieving them but also reflect the uniqueness of the property and the landowner, your professional expertise as a forester and the insights of the broader forestry community. The management plan has long been a core pillar of the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) program and is a key element of the 2010–2015 ATFS Standards of Sustainability.

Special Sites

Special sites are areas of unique historical, archeological, cultural, geographic, biological, or ecological value

Taking Advantage of Online Natural Heritage Databases

As an ATFS Inspecting Forester, you work closely with landowners to help them learn about their woods and sustainable forestry, while achieving their stewardship goals. Tree Farmers are ambassadors for good forestry,which includes managing for some unique and less understood resources, such as imperiled species, special sites or high- conservation-value forests.

ATFS Combines the North Central and Western Regions

After successful completion of our first, full 3-year assessment cycle for third-party certification, the ATFS Certification program will be recertified in 2012. The assessment process is valuable in many ways. First, it represents the third-party verification that is a hallmark of a globally recognized and competitive certification program. In addition, the assessment also provides a critical opportunity to engage with Tree Farmers and highlight their excellent on-the-ground stewardship. In addition, through the assessment process, we also learn about opportunities to strengthen and enhance the ATFS certification program into the future.

Stumped Spring 2012

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I work in a state where State Best Management Practices (BMPs) are voluntary. Do landowners have to implement BMPs to be ATFS Certified?

Stumped Spring 2011

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q:Can I conduct a phone interview for a required inspection?

Q:As an inspector, what sort of evidence should I look for to see if the Tree Farmer has met the Standards’ indicators?

Q: One of my clients has a Tree Farm of more than 10,000 acres. How can I keep them in the Tree Farm program even though all Tree Farms over 10,000 acres are no longer eligible for the State Tree Farm Program?

Q:My training as an inspector expired. How can I take update my training?

ATFS Continues to Provide New Tools for You and Your Landowners

There are many different types of planning documents that a landowner could use to guide their forest management. The common goal of these plans is to help the landowner (and the operators they work with) achieve their objectives. There are 4.4 million landowners that own 10 or more acres of woods and they have a variety of reasons for owning their woodlands. But all landowners can benefit from having a plan for their property. Whatever type of planning document is used, the goal should be to make it useful and meaningful for the landowner.

Follow the Chain!

Wood harvested from Tree Farm Certified lands is recognized as certified fiber by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification systems (PEFC). Mills across the country are interested in tracking certified fiber which includes Tree Farm wood. American Tree Farm System Certification can be a marketing point for your clients’ wood. When you are working with landowners to prepare for a harvest, be sure to follow these best practices.

Good Management Practice Spring 2011

The Standards checklist on the  new 004 form includes all of the 2010–2015 Standards. By following these Standards, Tree Farmers are the best ambassadors for well-managed private forests because they take their forest heritage seriously and are committed to keeping their forests healthy, productive, and enjoyable. Next to each Standard are check boxes labeled “yes,” “no” and “n/a” (not applicable).

Stumped Spring 2011

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q:What does it mean for a management plan to “address” resources elements such as forest health, soil, water, wood and fiber production, threatened and endangered species, special sites, invasive species, integrated pest management and high conservation value forests?

Q:As an inspector, what sort of evidence should I look for to see if the Tree Farmer has met the Standards’ indicators?

Q:How can I get information from Tree Farm on a more regular basis?

Q:What are high conservation value forests and how can Tree Farmers tell if they have one on their property?

Q:How can a Tree Farmer “consider” integrated pest management in their management to control pest, pathogens, and unwanted vegetation?

Spotlight: Third-Party Certification Audits

As a globally endorsed certification system, the American Tree Farm System must undergo third-party certification assessments. Every year, a set of State Tree Farm Committees will participate in these third-party certification assessments to ensure conformance to the AFF Standards. As a volunteer inspector, you are a crucial link to Tree Farmers. If a landowner that you work with is selected to participate in an assessment, you may be asked to help the landowner gather the necessary documentation. If you are the landowner’s primary forester, you may be the most knowledgeable on how their management meets the AFF Standards.

Good Management Practice Winter 2010

Many Tree Farmers keep a folder of all documents related to their Tree Farm for safe keeping, making documentation collection for third-party certification audits and Tree Farm inspections easier. During your inspections and Tree Farmer interviews be sure to ask where the management plan is kept, if they have harvest plans or contracts for forest operations, and if they have any documents related to cost-share programs, pesticides, prescribed burns or special sites. 

Spotlight: Special Sites

The updated Inspector Training highlights the need for all Tree Farmers to research whether or not they have special sites on their forestland. As an inspector, you can advise landowners of their options to meet this Standards’ requirement.

What have we learned from the first two years of third-party certification assessment?

Twenty-four State Tree Farm Committees have participated in the first two years of third-party certification assessments. Through these assessments, we have learned a great deal about the good work undertaken by Tree Farmers and ATFS Inspectors. The assessments have also illustrated what improvements are needed to ensure ATFS remains a credible program that creates opportunities for family woodland owners.

Spotlight: Updating Landowners to the New Standards of Sustainability

Beginning January 1, 2011, all Tree Farm inspections (initial, required sample inspections, and optional five-year inspections) must be conducted using the 2010-2015 Standards. Below are some case studies to help you explain to landowners how to implement the new Standards on their lands now so that they are ready for 2011. 

Spotlight: Updating Management Plans

We have been asked recently by several inspectors, “How should management plans be updated to ensure that they are still eligible under the Tree Farm program?” A forest management plan is only as useful as it is current, but what does it mean to have a management plan that is “active, adaptive, and embodies the owner’s current objectives?”

Spotlight: Forest Management Plans

As we move into the summer, and inspections pick up, we want to highlight the importance of forest management plans and clarify any confusion around the ATFS requirements. All landowners enrolled in the Tree Farm program must have a written management plan. Inspectors are asked to review this plan as part of an initial or reinspection visit and ensure the plan components meet ATFS management plan requirements as outlined in the AFF Standards (Standard 3: Commitment to Practicing Sustainable Forestry).

2008 Required Sample Reinspections Overview

2008 Required Sample Reinspections Overview

In 2006 ATFS transitioned from a five year reinspection cycle to a statistically valid sample. The sample was initiated to reduce the workload in the states and still meet our internal monitoring needs. The sample measures conformance to the AFF Standard.

Now Available- ATFS Online Verification Database

Sign up for the ATFS Online Verification Database Today

The certification verification system is designed so that users may log in with an ATFS issued password, enter specific data about the tract in question, and then receive a real-time reply regarding its certification status (i.e., Certified, Not Certified, Not In System). This is a fee-based system; subscriber fees are based on wood volume and divided into production facility categories.

American Forest Foundation (AFF) Standards to Undergo Review in 2008

In 2008, the 2004-2008 AFF Standards for Sustainability for Forest Certification will undergo review. The AFF Board of Trustees will convene an Independent Standards Review Panel (ISRP), representing a cross-section of forestry community leaders with a stake in the American Tree Farm System and sincere interest in forest sustainability on small private forest ownerships in the United States. The Board of Trustees will publicly announce the convening of the ISRP and the names of ISRP members.

New Guidelines for Tree Farm Eligibility

New Guidelines for Tree Farm Eligibility

In 2002, a moratorium was in place that limited the acreage size of new Tree Farms entering ATFS to less than 10,000 contiguous acres. At their December 2005 meeting,the AFF Board of Trustees approved new guidelines for determining eligibility for ATFS certification.

PEFC Endorsement Process Begins

Five years ago ATFS began an initiative to re-engineer its certification program to fit emerging criteria for international certification systems,specifically the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems (PEFC).

Statistical Sampling For Reinspections

In 2002, ATFS contracted with Virginia Tech’s College of Forestry to explore the concept of stratified random sampling as a means of reducing the number of annual reinspections necessary for program policy conformance.

Voluntary Third-Party Certification

Voluntary Third-Party Certification of Individual Tree Farms

Increased interest in forest certification by the global forest products industry, customers, and non-governmental organizations has renewed interest in Tree Farm Certification.

Tree Farm Certification Gaining Momentum

It's always nice to be recognized for a job well done. Following a decade of progress in strengthening and positioning ATFS as a certification program, the hard work has begun to pay off. ATFS continues to gain recognition as a credible certification alternative for family forest owners.

Not Trained Yet? What to do.

All Tree Farm Inspectors need to complete refresher training before conducting new inspections new inspections to the new AFF Standards that went into effect on July 1, 2004.The refresher training is just that – it is only intended for foresters who previously completed the full six-hour workshop covering all aspects of the Tree Farm program.

Stumped Fall 2004

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I’ve read over the new Standards several times, and to me, it seems more rigorous than the old Standards. How am I supposed to tell Tree Farmers they aren’t doing a good enough job now when the last time they were inspected, they were doing fine?

Standards of Sustainability for Tree Farm Certification Revised

Last December, the American Forest Foundation’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved modifications to the 1997 Standards of Sustainability for Forest Certification.  This approval completed the 18-month, independent third party and public review process, and set into motion the implementation of these new standards in 2004.  The adopted standard modifications cover such areas as management of special sites, operations aesthetics, water quality, biodiversity, and seeking qualified professional forest contractors. 

Stumped Spring 2002

Answers to Inspectors’ Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does a management plan have to be redrawn every five (5) years?

Q: How do you get a Qualified Inspector certificate and wallet cards?