Northwest Certified Forestry is a membership program that is open to many types of landowners in Washington and Oregon including: family forests, small forestry companies, tribes, conservation groups and public agencies.

Northwest Certified Forestry provides a suite of services that enable landowners to take a more proactive approach to management their woodlands and marketing their forest products.

Northwest Certified Forestry offers two levels of membership:    

1. Associate
2. Certified       

Annual membership fees

*Though full fees are required for initial membership, ongoing annual membership fees are reduced for landowners who have not conducted significant management activities in the previous year. A reduced Family membership is $50 and a reduced Small membership is $120.

Click here for information on scholarships.

Associate Member Benefits

Associate membership is open to any landowner, individual, organization, company or government entity. Simply mail in a completed 'Associate Application' in the Quick Links box above with payment. As an Associate member, you will receive the following benefits and services:

1. 20% or greater discount to all NCF sponsored workshops and events
2. Access to member-exclusive events
3. A reduced consulting rate for fee-for-service work performed by NCF staff (see the Consulting page)
   
4. Referrals to consulting foresters, loggers and other high quality natural resource professionals through our Preferred Provider Program
5. Assistance identifying cost-share and other financial assistance programs for conservation practices or small business development
6. Quarterly newsletter and e-mail news bulletin
7. Access to the 'members only' section of our website that provides an extensive library of publications, an on-line business contact database and other useful information resources

Certified Member Benefits

Northwest Certified Forestry also offers Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and ecosystem market development to landowners in the Pacific Northwest. NCF uses a group certification model to provide low cost certification services. As a certified member, you will receive all of the above services and benefits, plus:

1. FSC certification
2. Development of new FSC supply chains and markets
   
3. Customized marketing assistance
4. Ecosystem service market development (e.g. carbon credits via our NW Neutral program)

How the Certified Member Application Process Works

NCF has made the process of becoming FSC certified as simple as possible. However, we encourage applicants to fully understand the costs and benefits of becoming FSC certified before applying. Please take the time to thoroughly review the materials included in this website and feel free to consult with a staff member by calling: 360-379-9421 x 2.

Application process:

1. Submit your application and membership fee to NCF.
• If you have a forest management plan, also submit this with your application and membership fee.
• If you do not have a forest management plan, NCF can provide you with a management plan template and guidelines for developing a plan.
2. NCF staff will review your management plan and then make an appointment for a site visit.
3. NCF staff will visit your property and compare your stewardship plan to your on-the-ground management operations.
• If your property and management operations are compliant with FSC standards, you will receive an NCF Certificate of Membership which allows you to market forest products with the FSC label.
• If your assessment results in pre-conditions, you will have an additional 90 days to make adjustments to your management operations before certification is granted.
4. When your forest management operations and management plan meet FSC's standards, you will be given a Certificate of Certification and provided a unique FSC Chain of Custody (COC) number.  When you conduct a sale, the COC number is used to track your forest products.  Additionally, once you have become certified, NCF staff will provide customized advice on how and where to market your forest products. You will also receive access to the other benefits NCF membership provides.