Michigan Consulting Foresters Periodically updated by Georgia Peterson *

What is a consulting forester?

Independent consulting foresters are self-employed professional foresters who, for a fee, provide a variety of forestry-related services to the public. Their fees are variable and may be based on an hourly rate, commission, percentage, job, or a combination of these. When you hire a consulting forester, he or she is working for you, so be sure to share your goals for your woodland. For more information on hiring a consulting forester, see the attached document: "Should you hire a consulting forester?" (Adobe Acrobat format).

How to find a consulting forester from this list

Consulting foresters on this list are arranged by county. Consultants were generally restricted to listing 10 counties in which they most work. Some consultants may be willing to travel to counties other than those they listed. The consultants listed here have a two-year technical degree or four-year professional degree in forestry or wildlife management. The services they provide are listed to the right of their contact information. The seven major categories are:

• Forest Management: inventory, forest plans, marking, timber sales, etc.
• Wildlife Management: habitat development, game management, etc.
• Urban Tree Management: pruning, pest/disease diagnoses, tree planting, etc.
• Christmas Tree Management: conifer plantation planting, pesticide application, etc.
• Timber Sale Taxation Issues: allowable expenses, capital gains taxes, IRS forms, etc.
• Tree Planting Contracts: large- and/or small-scale planting contracts, appropriate seedling selection, etc.
• Expert Witness: timber trespass issues, estimation of tree value, etc.

NOTE: It is always good practice to request references before hiring anyone, and this includes a consulting forester.

To find a listing of consulting foresters in your county, click on the county of interest from the list at the bottom of this page. Listings are in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. You will need a copy of the Acrobat (TM) Reader to view them. If you do not already have a copy, the reader can be obtained free of charge from the Adobe (TM) web site at http://www.adobe.com/.

Disclaimer

Michigan State University does not certify or otherwise guarantee that the work of the individuals on this list will meet your needs, nor does inclusion on this list imply endorsement by MSU or bias against those not mentioned. The individuals on this list have indicated they are graduates of professional forestry schools which should provide them with the technical expertise necessary to accomplish natural resource management tasks appropriately.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Connie Brinson and Douglas Lantagne in the preparation of this bulletin. If there are any inaccuracies or omissions in a county's listing, please contact Georgia Peterson, Natural Resources Agent--Forestry, at 517-335-7383 or petersog@msu.edu.

Consultants by County

Counties A-C:

Counties D-G:

Counties H-K:

Counties L-M:

Counties N-P:

Counties R-W:

 Consultants that cover all counties in Michigan

*Special thanks to Sarah Kilgore for assistance in the major overhaul of this listing (March 2004).

If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact
Dr. Karen Potter-Witter, Professor, MSU Department of Forestry