Agency 10. Department of Forestry
- Preface
VAC AGENCY NO. 10
DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY
AGENCY SUMMARY
The State Forester supervises and directs all forest interests and all matters pertaining to forestry within the Commonwealth. Code of Virginia, Title 10.1, Chapter 11, Article 2.
The Department of Forestry is authorized to promulgate regulations related to duties or powers given to the department or the State Forester in Chapter 11 of Title 10.1 of the Code of Virginia. The department is responsible for and authorized in the indicated article of Chapter 11 of Title 10.1 of the Code of Virginia to: manage, develop and utilize any lands purchased, leased, or otherwise acquired as state forests (Article 2); develop and administer forest management plans on state-owned lands (Article 3); develop and execute forest protection through forest fire prevention, forest fire detection, and forest fire suppression to cities and counties (Article 4); ensure the delivery of technical forestry services to landowners (Article 5); appoint and commission individuals as forest wardens to enforce the forest laws (Article 6); develop a certified prescribed burning manager program (Article 6.1); issue special use permits for horse-back riding, biking, fishing, hunting, or trapping in state forests (Article 7); advise the Governor of serious fire hazard conditions in the Commonwealth and recommend prohibition of all open burning and the closing of hunting and fishing seasons where extraordinary fire hazards exist (Article 8); administer and enforce seed tree provisions to ensure that certain species may regenerate (Article 9); administer the cost-sharing system that promotes the reforestation of timberlands (Article 10); investigate insect infestations and disease infections affecting stands of forest trees and devise control measures for interested persons (Article 11); monitor, counsel and, if necessary, issue special orders related to any silvicultural activity which is causing or is likely to cause water pollution (Article 12); and maintain and make available to the public a list of all persons who satisfy the criteria for exemption from the requirements for Forester title (Article 13).
The department is responsible for the development of model policies and practices related to the Office of Working Lands Preservation, including the administration of the Virginia Farm Link Program, the management of the Forest Sustainability Fund, and the administration of the in-lieu fees collected in trust for small renewable energy projects (Article 2.1).
The department is authorized to prescribe standards for purposes of tax assessment for the classification of real property on the basis of forest use. Code of Virginia, Title 58.1, Chapter 32, Article 4.
The department is authorized to receive taxes collected from forest products' industries and credited by the Comptroller as special revenues, to the Reforestation of Timberlands State Fund of the department on forest products of pine pursuant to § 58.1-1604, and authorized to use the funds for the sole purpose of reforesting privately owned timberlands in the Commonwealth as provided by Article 10, § 10.1-1170 et seq.
The department operates under the supervision of the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Regulations and forms are available at the department's office at 900 Natural Resources Drive, Suite 800, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Internet address: www.dof.virginia.gov.
Rev. 7/2026
- Chapter 10
- Public Participation Guidelines [Repealed]Read all
- Section 10
- [Repealed]
- Section 20
- [Repealed]
- Section 30
- [Repealed]
- Chapter 11
- Public Participation GuidelinesRead all
- Part I
- Purpose and Definitions
- Section 10
- Purpose
- Section 20
- Definitions
- Part II
- Notification of Interested Persons
- Section 30
- Notification List
- Section 40
- Information to Be Sent to Persons on the Notification List
- Part III
- Public Participation Procedures
- Section 50
- Public Comment
- Section 60
- Petition for Rulemaking
- Section 70
- Appointment of Regulatory Advisory Panel
- Section 80
- Appointment of Negotiated Rulemaking Panel
- Section 90
- Meetings
- Section 100
- Public Hearings on Regulations
- Section 110
- Periodic Review of Regulations
- Chapter 20
- Standards for Classification of Real Estate As Devoted to Forest Use under the Virginia Land Use Assessment LawRead all
- Section 10
- Purpose and Statement of Standards
- Section 20
- Technical Standards for Classification of Real Estate Devoted to Forest Use
- Section 30
- Conservation of Land Resources, Management and Production, and Certification
- Section 40
- Opinions
- Chapter 30
- Virginia State Forests RegulationsRead all
- Section 10
- Definitions
- Section 20
- Construction
- Section 30
- Territorial Scope
- Section 40
- Permits
- Section 50
- Preservation of the Forest
- Section 60
- Buildings, Signs, Structures, or Other Property
- Section 70
- [Repealed]
- Section 80
- [Repealed]
- Section 90
- [Repealed]
- Section 100
- [Repealed]
- Section 110
- [Repealed]
- Section 120
- [Repealed]
- Section 130
- [Repealed]
- Section 140
- Camping
- Section 150
- [Repealed]
- Section 160
- [Repealed]
- Section 170
- ExplosivesAnd Firearms
- Section 180
- FiresAndLighted Cigarettes
- Section 190
- Smoking
- Section 200
- Hunting and Fishing
- Section 210
- [Repealed]
- Section 220
- Boating
- Section 230
- Dogs and Other Animals
- Section 240
- Sports and Games
- Section 250
- Vehicles, Where Permitted
- Section 260
- [Repealed]
- Section 270
- [Repealed]
- Section 280
- [Repealed]
- Section 290
- Use of Roads
- Section 300
- Commercial Activity
- Section 310
- Advertising
- Section 320
- Meetings and Exhibitions
- Section 330
- Gifts and Contributions
- Section 340
- Aviation
- Section 350
- Sale of Forest Products
- Section 420
- Horses and Horseback Riding
- Section 430
- Hours of Operation
- Section 440
- Rock Climbing and Rappelling
- Section 450
- Target Shooting
- FORMS
- Forms (4VAC10-30)
- Chapter 40
- Reforestation of Timberlands RegulationsRead all
- Part I
- Definitions
- Section 10
- Definitions
- Part II
- Construction and Scope of Regulations
- Section 20
- Construction
- Section 30
- Territorial Scope
- Part III
- Qualifying and Nonqualifying Species, Type of Land Cover, Land Area, and Practices
- Section 40
- Qualifying Species
- Section 50
- Nonqualifying Type of Land Cover
- Section 60
- Minimum and Maximum Land Area
- Section 70
- Qualifying Practices
- Part IV
- Seed Trees
- Section 80
- Seed Trees
- Part V
- Equipment
- Section 90
- Types of Equipment
- Section 100
- Rate of Payment for Equipment, Materials, Supplies and Personnel
- Part VI
- Supervisory Personnel
- Section 110
- Supervisory Personnel
- Part VII
- Expenditure of Taxes
- Section 120
- Expenditure of Taxes Collected within a County
- Part VIII
- Christmas, Ornamental and Landscape Trees
- Section 130
- Christmas Trees
- Section 140
- Ornamental and Landscape Trees
- Part IX
- Assistance to Damaged Replant Areas
- Section 150
- Assistance to Replant Areas Damaged by Fire, Insects, Disease, Drought, Wind or Otherwise
- Part X
- Component Payments
- Section 160
- Component Payments
- Part XI
- Incentive Payments
- Section 170
- Incentive Payments
