Contact: Kerry Heckman, 517-643-1256

Ensure the future of your forest through the Forest Legacy Program; nominations due May 2

How do you protect your forest for future generations? Michigan’s Forest Legacy Program offers some options. It provides the state with funding to purchase or secure conservation easements on environmentally important forest lands to ensure that our next generations can enjoy them as well. The Forest Legacy Program is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “The Forest Legacy Program protects forest lands so they will provide the benefits of forests forever,” said Kerry Heckman, forest land administrator with the DNR’s Forest Resources Division. “Well-managed forests are a critical source of the forest products we use every day. Forests help provide us with clean air and water and are the places we love to hunt, hike, fish and connect with nature.” Do you have a parcel that could benefit from Forest Legacy Program protection? Nomination applications for the nationally competitive program are due May 2. Past examples of forest lands secured by the program are parcels along the Lake Superior shoreline and in the Pigeon River Country State Forest. More than 156,000 acres have been protected in Michigan. These forests were competitive for program funding because they: Are managed as working forests to keep them healthy and thriving. Contain prime fish and wildlife habitat. Offer outdoor places to enjoy. Benefit the forest products economy.

Protected forests will always be forests

The Forest Legacy Program provides an opportunity for landowners to keep forests as forests, encourages sustainable management and supports forest product markets.

All interests in land acquired by the Forest Legacy Program last forever. Agreements must contain language ensuring that rights are perpetual. Michigan’s program requires that Forest Legacy lands are open to the public, at a minimum, for nonmotorized access. Landowners who don’t have an existing forest management plan will need to develop one before a project can be completed.

The DNR will review and prioritize eligible projects and may submit up to three to compete nationally for funding. Projects nominated by May 2 will compete for funding in the fiscal year 2027 federal budget, which begins Oct. 1, 2026. The state can request up to $20 million for projects.

Nominate your forest land

Find details and download a nomination application on the Forest Legacy Program webpage. Email program lead Kerry Heckman at [email protected] for more information.

Note to editors: An accompanying photo is available below for download. Caption information follows.

Black River Ranch forest: Aerial view of the Black River Ranch forest, a Forest Legacy Program-enrolled property bordering the Pigeon River Country State Forest in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.