Virtual Outreach & Forest Stewardship

We will develop avenues that engage and recruit landowners across the spectrum of forest stewardship. The first activity will include the development, implementation, and recruitment of an online interactive course for non-traditional woodland owners with diverse backgrounds to learn about the value of actively managing woodlands, gain insight and understanding of their natural resources and ways to articulate their management objectives/desired future conditions, and ways to take initial steps in developing a management plan for their woodlands. The course development will be jointly taught by key partners and include PowerPoint lectures, field/woodland-based videos, and interviews with forestry professionals in woodland settings, all with the goal of promoting and encouraging active forest management for healthy woodlands. The project will work with key partners at the Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky Forest Industries Association, Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, Kentucky Tree Farm Committee, Kentucky Natural Resource Conservation Service and University of Kentucky to enlist skilled instructors to aid in woodland education. Ultimately, this project will develop a Kentucky-specific curriculum with a focus on hardwood management, invasive species and how to reach absentee landowners. Specifically, we will: „h Develop outreach and educational material and programs for natural resource professionals within the cabinet and non-industrial private forest landowners. „h Produce brochures, pamphlets, bulletins, and newsletters for technical outreach support in educating non-industrial private forest landowners. „h Provide technical training assistance to natural resource professionals within the cabinet. Assist with the development and printing of one edition of the Kentucky Woodlands Magazine.