Category 1 - Core Education

Activities and Conditions

Category 1 activities are the core requirement for the Certified Forester (CF) program and many state boards of licensure.
All category 1 activities MUST satisfy ALL of the following conditions:
(1)    It is an organized program of learning conducted in a setting physically suitable to continuing forestry education objectives.
(2)    Speakers must be qualified to address their topics and be considered experts in their presentation subject by virtue of special education, training, and/or experience.  
(3)    The subject matter must directly relate to the approved content area for the appropriate credential. Individual presentations within a workshop or conference may qualify while others do not.
(4)    The program content must be of a technical level and nature such that it supplements and builds upon the knowledge necessary to ensure professional competency. Training sessions targeted specifically for landowners do NOT meet this criterion.
(5)    The program content cannot be:
          •    specific to protocols of an individual organization, company, or agency;
          •    about organization-specific procedures and operations;
          •    employee training in organization-specific practices/policies.

However, attendance can be limited to individuals of a particular organization.

Resource Assessment

•    Understanding soil properties and processes specific to forested areas
•    Understanding photo interpretation and remote sensing
•    Understanding how to use GIS and GPS in data collection and maintenance
•    Understanding the interactions between forest ecological factors and ecosystem services
•    Understanding forest measurements, land surveying concepts, inventory and sampling techniques, and  new technology
•    Identifying impacts from forest insects and diseases
•    Identifying basic aquatic and terrestrial flora & fauna  
•    Understanding how climate, fire, pollution, genetics, insects, diseases, invasive species affect forest health and productivity
•    Understanding how to access and evaluate current economic and market conditions

Stakeholder Analysis & Relations

•    Leadership training for natural resource professionals
•    Communications including conflict resolution, mediation, how to conduct effective stakeholder surveys and meetings, and techniques
•    Understanding how polices, federal, state, and local laws and regulations directly govern the practice of forestry, including voluntary standards and guidelines
•    Understanding changing forest landowner demographics and identifying stakeholders
•    Understanding how social, cultural, political, legal, educational, economic and institutional histories influence the practice of forestry

Management Planning

•    Understanding hydrology, water quality, and watershed functions and management and constraints
•    Understanding the relationship between forest management and wildlife, fisheries, range, or wetlands management
•    Understanding how tax policies impact forest management
•    Understanding of silvicultural principles and techniques to achieve objectives
•    Developing management plans with specific objectives including forest products, recreation, non-timber products, wildlife
•    Developing a fire risk assessment and understanding of suppression techniques
•    Understanding fire weather and prescribed fire methods
•    Understanding how to use GIS in land management planning
•    Analyzing economic, environmental, and social consequences of forest resource management strategies and decisions
•    Analyzing inventory data and projecting future forest, stand and tree conditions
•    Understanding basic real estate and legal records such as land records, deeds, and land surveys

Execution of Management Plan

•    Developing harvesting plans including road maintenance, roadbed stabilization, timber appraisal, and logging costs
•    Understanding methods to achieve silvicultural objectives
•    Understanding contract law and interpreting contract specifications
•    Recognizing and determining the impact and severity caused by catastrophic agents and corrective methods such as rehabilitation or salvage harvesting
•    Understanding harvesting systems, techniques, and methods and how economic impacts effect harvesting schedules
•    Understanding reforestation methods and measuring success rates
•    Understanding control methods and pesticide application technologies for forest insects and diseases and vegetation management
•    Understanding professional ethics
•    Understanding how cost share programs impact the management plan

Have a question regarding your CFEs? Please email [email protected] and we will respond to your inquiry during our regular office hours.