Of the 19 million acres of forestland in Michigan, nonindustrial private forest landowners own 8.4 million acres of that. The American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) is a program sponsored nationally by the American Forest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promoting the sustainable management of forests through education and outreach to private forest landowners. A properly managed Tree Farm not only rewards the owner with long-term economic gain in the production of wood, but with fruitful wildlife habitat, clean water, excellent recreational value, and personal enjoyment.

The Michigan Tree Farm Committee is led by an Executive Committee of Officers, District Chairpersons and At Large Members representing industry, private landowners, private consultants and state agencies. Conducting meetings in strict compliance with antitrust laws, the Committee strives to train and engage foresters in the inspection of Tree Farms for certification into the program and monitors the inspection and reinspection process.

Interested landowners must have a minimum of 10 acres and be willing to develop a written management plan that meets the ATFS standards and guidelines. Although professional foresters will make recommendations and present options, the private landowner makes the decisions about how to manage the land and, in fact, does not have to harvest trees if this is not desired. Approximately every five years, the landowner must go through a reinspection to keep the management plan up to date with current ATFS standards.