In Montana, private and community forest landowners are responsible for nearly 25% of Montana's forested areas, covering 4.6 million acres of the Treasure State. Whether a property contains a handful of trees or hundreds, sometime thousands of acres of trees, each owner has a unique perspective and value system that guides how they choose to manage their forests, including specific ecosystem and habitat conditions for plants and wildlife, prioritizing long-term timber yields as sources of income, or relying on their forests for ranching and agricultural benefits. The DNRC Forest Stewardship Program exists to ensure that Montana's private forest landowners have the resources they need to make their sustainable forest management goals a reality. The Stewardship Program offers assistance in the following areas: 

Resources for Landowners

Provides information about local partner programs available to forest landowners across the state. These programs are focused on reducing wildfire risk and restoring forest health. 

Resources for Grant Partners

Grant funding is available for partners to restore forest landscapes, manage wildfire risk, and implement conservation education opportunities.

Educational Resources

Connects landowners with natural resource education opportunities including one-on-one consultations, workshops, and webinars.

Thanks to these resources, the DNRC Stewardship Program increases the ability of landowners, natural resource managers, and communities to meet their forest management objectives and enhance public benefits from Montana forests.