At the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), our mission is to protect and develop healthy, sustainable forest resources for all Virginians. DOF was established in 1914 for two primary purposes: to prevent and suppress wildfires and reforest bare lands. More than 100 years later, we still fight wildfires and plant trees, but the agency has evolved to meet the greater needs of our forestry community.

Encouraging the Commonwealth’s private landowners to take action – whether that comes in the form of planting trees, providing space for growth, or removing invasive species and pests – is vital. These actions keep our forests healthy, vigorous, and productive.

Every day, DOF foresters – and the staff across the state who support them – assist landowners by offering forest management expertise, recommending qualified contractors, and providing financial assistance to ease the burden that accompanies improving our forest resources. More than 60 percent of Virginia’s 16 million acres of forestland are privately owned. Combining this with over 7,000,000 acres of farms, it’s easy to grasp that agriculture and forestry are a key part of the Commonwealth’s economy while providing aesthetics, clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and quality of life.

One way we support our economy is by supporting and developing new markets with DOF’s Utilization and Marketing Program. Through this program we meet with industry partners, collaborate with associations, and work with our colleges and universities to ensure Virginia has the places and people to accomplish this important work. Retention of Virginia’s working lands – and approaches to address losses – are one of DOF’s many priorities. Created in the 2024 session of the General Assembly, DOF’s Office of Working Lands Preservation (OWL) merged the Office of Farmland Preservation – formerly housed within the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – with DOF’s Forestland Conservation program. Today, OWL focuses on the conservation of farms and forestland through federal, state, and local partnerships, and outreach to landowners. With the creation of OWL, we will now also focus on assisting farmers to conserve Virginia’s prime agricultural lands and the farm and forest businesses they sustain.

The Reforestation of Timberlands (RT) Program provides cost-share assistance to landowners for pine reforestation and is funded by the forest industry in Virginia through the Virginia Forest Products Tax with matching funds from the Commonwealth’s General Fund. The program has been helping Virginia landowners grow pines for more than 50 years. The (RT) program reimburses landowners for a portion of the costs associated with getting their pines started right.

But Virginia is not just about pine trees, and neither is our industry or our assistance programs. In Virginia, 80% of forests, or 12.6 million acres, are made up of hardwood or mixed hardwood-pine. Nearly 100 species of native hardwood trees grow here. So, we created the Hardwood Initiative Cost-Share Program. It provides forest landowners with financial assistance to conduct hardwood management practices recommended by a forestry professional. To help guide landowners, several management plans can be prepared by a state or private forester.

Every day, DOF and our partners across the Commonwealth offer a wide variety of resources to help landowners, agencies, and organizations plant, grow, and manage trees and forests. Conservation requires instruction, mentoring, and planning to ensure the health and well-being of our industries, and to protect forests and working lands for future generations.

All Virginians enjoy the benefits of forests. Please join us in our important mission to protect, conserve, and champion Virginia’s forestry resources. Stay in the know by visiting DOF’s Newsroom for additional agency information and to sign up for regular news updates.

Terry Lasher
State Forester