Certified Foresters: Serving the Public

How Certification Works?

The forester we hired was concerned about how the land would be after the harvest and the possibility of natural regeneration, as well as my visions and desired for the land. Our recognition as National Tree Farmers of the Year came largely because we hired a forester who has been our advisor and mentor.

Rachel Jordan, landowner
Dodgeville, Wisconsin

The SAF Certified Forester program is voluntary and opened to any qualified individual. Applications are first reviewed for educational requirements. If an applicants meets the educational requirements, their experience history is then reviewed. Based on their experience, an individual will be qualified for the Candidate Certified Forester™ or Certified Forester credential.

Individuals that meet the educational requirement, pass the CF exam, and obtain 5-years of professional forestry-related experience can become CFs.

The tests, developed by subject matter experts in forestry, are administered by Schroeder Measurement Technologies Inc., which administers examinations each year to over 40 professional categories and processes over 100,000 examinations per year. There is one specialty exam for forest auditing. This exam is focused on auditing in forests and forestry-related settings.

CFs are required to submit 60 CFE contact hours for continuing education every three years to keep up with technology and issues within the forestry profession. Continuing education is necessary to maintain certification. All CF credentials have expiration dates.