The modern Army forester sees Army lands as an integral part of Army training that also provide biological diversity, wildlife habitat, air and water quality, soil conservation, watershed protection, and recreational opportunities. While all installations with forests have forestry responsibilities, not all installations have reimbursable forestry programs.

Certain criteria must be met and maintained for an installation to establish a reimbursable forestry program.

• The program must support the military mission. Activities of the program must not encumber land that is needed for conducting mission operations. While pursuing and planning reimbursable activities, natural resource managers must coordinate with mission operators to identify opportunities to improve long-term mission access to land, increase training realism, and improve training flexibility.
• The program must comply with federal laws, including but not limited to:
  • National Environmental Policy Act
  • Endangered Species Act
  • The National Historic Preservation Act
• The program must follow installation safety restrictions.
• Forest management must be documented in the installation Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan and any component Endangered Species Management Plan (ESMP). The INRMP and ESMP must be developed in accordance with NEPA and 32 CFR 651, Environmental Analysis of Army Actions. DoD guidance on the Sikes Act Improvement Act  and Army regulatory guidance require that forest management be incorporated in the INRMP. The INRMP should include detailed plans for forestry operations, including, but not limited to, silvicultural prescriptions, reforestation, timber harvest activities, and prescribed burns.
• The program must be a fiscally sound investment capable of ecosystem sustainability.