# NJ Forest Stewardship Program

> Advice and site visits from New Jersey Forest Service (NJDEP) (State) for NJ, United States.

Official page: https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/conservation/landowner-programs/
Source: https://treerm.org/residents/programs/nj-forest-service-forest-stewardship-program · Updated 2026-11-08 · Status: Open

**What you get:** A free consultation with a state forester and a path to a 10-year stewardship plan that can qualify woodland for reduced property taxes

The New Jersey Forest Service offers private woodland owners a one-time meeting with a state forester to discuss forest stewardship, explain cost-share assistance and recommend programs. Owners then work with a forester to write a 10-year Forest Stewardship Plan under N.J.A.C. 7:3-5, signed by both the landowner and the forester and approved by the Forest Service. An approved plan is the route to reduced property taxes on woodland under the Farmland Assessment Act.

## Who qualifies

New Jersey landowners with a minimum of five forested acres.

## How to apply

Contact the NJ Forest Service regional forestry office for your county through the landowner programs page to request the consultation; then have a forester prepare and submit the plan for approval.

**For:** Landowners, Farmers

> Note: NJDEP pages were behind bot protection at research time; the five-acre minimum and the one-visit consultation are quoted from the Forest Service landowner programs page as indexed, not re-read on the live site. Confirm current cost-share availability with the regional office.