2016 Third Party Assessment Underway
June 1, 2016 at 6:23 PM by certification
The 2016 third-party assessment with PriceWaterhouseCoopers is underway, which included a review of the 2015 required sample inspections for those states undergoing assessment this year. Here are some noted best practices and reminders from the review:
- Supplemental Information – Use the Notes sections of the 004 form to provide any additional insight about the Tree Farm and the Tree Farmer. Some examples of helpful information include:
- Restocking conditions that have been met during a reforestation or an afforestation effort to substantiate a landowner’s efforts for future assessments.
- Participation in a tax abatement program so the state committee can direct communications accordingly (if applicable).
- Opportunities or issues a a Tree Farmer may be facing to help direct timely and appropriate follow up by the state committee.
- Active Status - You must be an active inspector prior to performing an inspection. It is not acceptable to complete an inspection and then wait to submit the inspection record in the database until after any needed refresher training is completed.
- Field Visits - Inspections resulting in a “Certified/Recognition” status must be accompanied by a field visit within the last 180 days.
- Plan Element References – When reviewing management plans, be sure the appropriate official sources of information are referenced for the presence or absence of element requirements, such as T&E species or special sites.
We are looking forward to providing a more in-depth re-cap of the 2016 assessment once all field visits have been completed later this summer. Thank you to all of the state committees and inspectors who have been working behind the scenes to ensure a successful 2016 assessment!
