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Private Consulting Foresters

Forestry is the science, art, and business of managing forest ecosystems. A Consulting Forester is a private MA Licensed Forester who works directly for the landowner to represent their interests and implement forest management based on the landowners objectives. Consulting Foresters (and most Licensed Foresters) can provide a variety of services to landowners including:

• Developing a Forest Management Plan
• Forest Inventory and Appraisal
• Planning and Supervising Timber Sales
• Estate Planning and Taxation Matters
• Timber Stand Improvement
• Locating, Mapping and Marking Property Lines
• Wildlife Enhancement
• Aesthetic Enhancement
• Recreational Enhancement
• Forest Health Assessment

Consulting Foresters charge for their services, but research has shown that the average landowner makes more money from a timber sale by hiring a competent Consulting Forester than by selling timber on their own. This is due to the Consulting Forester obtaining competitive bids from several buyers. A Consulting Forester can be hired either for a single task or for all the work a landowner may need.

Currently the Bureau does not maintain a separate list of Consulting Foresters. Instead, the State maintains a list of all the Licensed Foresters in Massachusetts. For information on "Licensed Foresters" in Massachusetts CLICK HERE. This list contains Consulting Foresters, as well Industrial Foresters (Foresters who work for a sawmill, logging company, or timber buyer), and others. A landowner can use this list (alphabetical by town) to identify MA Licensed Foresters who live and work in their area, and then must decide who to hire based on their need and the types of services the individual forester provides. Click here to view the list of a list of Private MA Licensed Foresters (listed by town) (Note: This list is in Adobe Acrobat format).