The Inspection Process

After you apply for certification, a professional forester who is trained as a Tree Farm Inspector will meet with you to review your forest management plan and walk your woods to verify that you meet the required sustainability standards.

The inspection is an excellent opportunity to ask your Inspector questions you have about managing your woodlands or to ask for recommendations on ways to improve the health of your woods or achieve your objectives. This time to meet with a forester is one of the many benefits of Tree Farm certification.

Once your Inspector finishes the site visit and review of your management plan, he/she will submit a written inspection report to the N.C. Tree Farm Program with a recommendation that your property be certified. The Tree Farm Program will then complete the required documentation to certify your property.

Certified Tree Farms are re-inspected every five years to confirm that management activities continue to meet the Standards of Sustainability.