Forestry Assistance Program Report

manage their woodlots for the production of forest products. The goal of the program is to promote sustainable forest management practices and to provide forest products to Michigan’s forest products industry.

The Forestry Assistance Program also serves as a referral service to help landowners connect with private consulting foresters to write a Forest Stewardship Plan, apply to the Qualified Forest Program, or to administer a timber sale. Overall, 51 referral contacts resulted from this process in 2022. To help evaluate how effective Michigan’s Forestry Assistance Program is, District Foresters are asked to estimate the economic value of referral activities. For our service area, 31 forest management plans were referred to the private sector resulting in an estimated $61,000 of economic activity. Also, 16 timber harvests were referred for administration covering 811 acres with the potential to yield approximately $183,400 worth of forest products.

Site visits were up 50% compared to last fiscal year which made for a busy year, and QFP verifications for new landowners were the same as last year. A direct mailing was sent to 631 forest landowners in Newaygo County promoting the Qualified Forest Program. Overall, this helped increase contacts and site visits to the program.

District Forester Rod Denning is available to help landowners manage their forest for sustainable timber production, wildlife habitat, and/or optimal ecological health.

Outreach and education are also an important part of the District Forester’s role. Last year, Denning hosted a Spongy Moth Forum in Newaygo County which attracted over 100 people interested in the latest information about the insect outbreak. Other events included a guided program at Otto Nature Preserve for Muskegon Community College students studying forestry concepts, and a meeting updating the community on a completed tree planting project in Oceana County.

If you’re a forest landowner and are interested in services that the Forestry Assistance Program offers, please contact District Forester Rod Denning at (616) 920-9775 or rod.denning@macd.org.

Conservationist of the Year

By Sharon Hallack cOnTribuTing Wri Ter

In today’s modern agriculture we are used to seeing pivot irrigation watering the thirsty ground and all sorts of modern farm machinery carrying out various farming practices - but a farmer in a field carrying a hoe? That’s right. Meet Dan Tutak of Montague, Oceana Conservation District’s Conservationist of the Year. Dan, who uses his farming and engineering background to manage his 220-acre farm of soybeans and corn, is just as comfortable with modern farming practices and equipment, as he is with good oldfashioned ones.

“I’m not an organic farmer, but I’m pretty conservation-minded. I want to leave the land better than when I got it,” Tutak said.

“Dan is meticulous and pays much attention to detail in the management of his farm and crops. He has some of the best records I have seen for all aspects of his farming practices and most notably irrigation management. His engineering background has been a great asset to him, especially in the set up and running of his two irrigation pivot systems. Growing the best possible crops in every field is truly a passion for him and evidenced by his attention to pest scouting (weeds and insects) each year and the time and energy he spends to grow healthy plants in the field while also paying attention to the health of the soils, surface and groundwater,” said Lynda Herremans, Oceana MAEAP Technician.

Over the course of the past few years, Tutak has worked hard to eradicate many annoying weeds on his croplands, located in both Claybanks and Grant Townships. With his regular scouting rotations he claims he’s not had velvetleaf or marestail go to seed in a long time. Regular scouting of his fields is just as important to him as no-till seeding or creating grass waterways to prevent erosion. He is currently enrolled in two Farm Bill programs--the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) - as well as the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), has demonstrated his commitment to sustainable agriculture by implementing practices that protect the soil, water, and wildlife. Through the use of cover crops, no-till practices, creating vegetative buffers along Flower Creek, utilizing safe fuel and chemical storage/handling, practicing responsible nutrient, irrigation, drift and pest management and creating wildlife habitat, the decision to name him this year’s conservationist was an easy one.

Raised on the Chester (and Stella) Tutak Farm west of Rothbury, Dan grew up the sixth of seven children, helping raise everything from cattle, peas, pickles, hay, corn and soybeans. “I spent a lot of summers picking pickles and hauling hay,” he said. A Montague High School graduate, Tutak bought his first piece of property in 1980. “I bought 26 acres along US-31 from MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) when the new freeway