Landowners, are you interested in adopting better practices to protect your forest, wetland, or other habitat? The Forest, Wetlands, and Habitat*A*Syst (FWH*A*Syst) is part of the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) and provides a way for you, the landowner, to examine and improve your current management practices in order to minimize negative impacts to the land and the water. By getting your property MAEAP verified through the FWH*A*Syst, you are playing a positive role in the protection and sustainable management of our natural resources.
There are several steps involved to get your forest, wetland, or other habitat MAEAP verified through the FWH*A*Syst:
- Have a management plan written by a professional in the field of natural resources. This professional can be a forester, ecologist, or other natural resources professional.
- Meet with a Conservation District Forester and/or a MAEAP technician to complete the FWH*A*Syst risk assessment. The questions from the risk assessment are used to determine which of your practices need to be improved to minimize environmental impacts. A plan of action must be developed for any practices that need to be improved.
- Fulfill the MAEAP Phase 1 education requirement by attending a Phase 1 educational session or by viewing online Phase 1 media.
- Once you have fulfilled the education requirement and have developed a plan of action to improve practices that do not meet the MAEAP standards, you may contact an official MAEAP verifier to you have your forest, wetland, or other habitat verified through the MAEAP FWH*A*Syst.
- Upon successful verification, you will receive a sign that you can proudly post on your property!
