In spring of 2021, the Commission released an updated version of the Requirements Manual and a document outlining the changes. Some of the changes begin to take effect in 2022. Each month we will be highlighting a change, why we made it and why it is important. This month we're looking at a NEW stewardship requirement.

Why is it important?

• Having the report completion date helps land trusts document that reports are completed promptly after the visit, which will aid in reports being admissible as evidence in court. In order to meet the business records exception to the rules against hearsay, the record must be made at or near the time of the event.
• The date of report completion also helps the Commission verify compliance with the requirement that monitoring and inspection reports are completed generally within three months of the monitoring or inspection date.

How will it be implemented?

• To give land trusts time to implement the change, this requirement will be phased in and start in 2022. The Commission would focus on a land trust's current work at that time, and corrective action will not be required for older monitoring or inspection reports.
• A land trust can incorporate the completion date by including a "date report completed" field or by including a dated signature of the report preparer. (Note, having the preparer sign the report is not required for accreditation but is an approach used by some land trusts.)

If you have questions about any of the changes, please contact us at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here to see the entire Summary of Changes and to download the Requirements Manual.