The Mission of the Maine Tree Farm Committee is to help Maine’s family woodland owners realize the full potential of their woods while providing forest products and other woodland benefits in a recognizably sustainable manner. MeTFC will accomplish this by partnering with organizations with similar goals to provide educational materials, site visits with resource professionals (aka “walk-and-talks”, or “inspections”), field days and workshops, and by providing family woodland owners with recognition and certification services of value to communities, markets and society at large.

The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) was founded in 1941 and is now the oldest and largest forest conservation, certification, and advocacy program in the United States.  Maine joined the ATFS in 1952 and today there are more than 1,400 Tree Farms in the state, encompassing more than 400,000 acres.  Benefits of the program are:  recognition to display on your woodlot, certification to potentially improve access to forest products markets, professional forestry advice, educational resources and advocacy.

To qualify for Tree Farm Certification, your woodland must be:

  • At least 10 acres in size
  • Managed under a qualified written management plan
  • Managed for the sustainable production of timber and other forest products, while recognizing the importance of water, wildlife, and recreational opportunities