Guide to Stewardship Planning for Natural Areas

A Guide to Stewardship Planning for Natural Areas, contains information on land stewardship and provides a framework to help rural landowners create a stewardship plan for their property.

A stewardship plan will help you:

• Learn more about your property
• Determine objectives for your property
• Plan and schedule activities
• Ensure consistent long-term management on your property

Some landowners may use the planning framework and forms found in this guide to prepare a Managed Forest Plan for entrance into the Ontario Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP).  Plans being prepared for entrance into the MFTIP must follow the requirements outlined in the “Ontario Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program Guide ” and be approved by a Managed Forest Plan Approver. For more information on MFTIP requirements, visit the MFTIP website.

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Guide to Stewardship Planning for Natural Areas (PDF, 1.7MB 135 pages)

We recommend that you download the PDF to your computer for viewing or printing. Windows/Linux users: right-click on the link and select your web browser's save option; Mac users: hold-click on the link and select your web browser's save option.

View Forms

Stewardship planning forms can be downloaded, completed and saved using Adobe Acrobat Reader or printed for completing by hand.

Download standard forms

Entire set of standard forms - Section 1 to 10 (PDF, 726KB 13 pages)

Download forms from Appendix 2 and Section 7

• Getting to know your upland areas (PDF, 159KB 2 pages)
• Getting to know your wetland areas (PDF, 170KB 2 pages)
• Getting to know the wildlife (PDF, 102KB 2 pages)
• Enhanced forest inventory and harvest plan (PDF,100KB 2 pages)

View or print a sample stewardship plan

Sample stewardship plan with completed forms (PDF, 400KB 12 pages)

Note: if you experience any formatting problems with the downloadable forms please notfy us by email at stewardshipforms@Ontario.ca

How to order this document:

Single copies of this publication are available at no charge from a local Stewardship Coordinator or an MNR Information Centre. For bulk orders of this guide, please contact the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA). Charges may apply.

Reference material:

• Ontario's natural spaces are important (information on the Ministry of Natural Resources' private land stewardship programs) (PDF, 59KB 2 pages)
• Have you contacted your local conservation authority? (PDF, 81KB 2 pages)
• A Forest Services Directory for Landowners (PDF,128KB 2 pages)
• Is Tree Planting Part of Your Plan (PDF, 95KB 2 pages)