Maryland Woodland Stewards
Improving Forest and Wildlife Habitat
Through Education
Jonathan Kays & Lyle Almond
Forestry Extension Specialists
Andrew Kling
Forest Extension Assistant
What do most
people know
about natural
resource
management?
A Woodland
Steward...
• Feels a sense of
responsibility.
• Knows the
opportunities.
• Is aware of the
consequences of
actions
Is Guided By
OBJECTIVES!
Who Owns Most of
Maryland’s Woodlands?
Woodland
Situation
in MD
• 76% of MD woodlands owned by private landowners
• 20% owned by landowners classified as farmers by USDA
• Average MD forest landowner owns 9.4 acres
• Traditional forest management decreasing with population density
% of Total
2006 Family Forest Ownership - MD
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1-9
10-49
50-99
100-499
500+
Acreage Catagories
% Acres
% Owners
USDA Forest Service, 2006
Number of MD Private Forest Owners
(1000’s)
Percentage with 1–9 Acres of Forest
# of Owners (x1000)
175
157
150
131
125
100
75
95.8
55%
65%
1976
85%
50
1989
2006
25
0
1976
1989
2006
Year of Survey
USDA Forest Service National Woodland
Owners Survey – 1977, 1989, 2006
Change in % Acreage of MD Private
Forest Owners with 1-9 Acres of Forest
% of Forest Acres
25
22
20
1977
1989
2006
15
10
7
8
1977
1989
5
0
Year of Survey
2006
USDA Forest Service Woodland Owners
Survey – 1977, 1989, 2006
Trend of Private Land Parcelization
Challenges Traditional Forest Industry
Exploring the Myths of Private
Woodland Owners
•
•
•
•
Rural and Land Connected
Anti-environmentalists
Timber Oriented
Pro-private Rights
Rural and Land Connected?
• Private Forest Owners are:
–
–
–
–
Educated
Aging
Increasingly absentee
Non-farming
• Less “connected to the land”
Objectives of Private Woodland
Owners - PA Study
Benefits
Public Landowners
Clean air
94
96
Clean water
94
96
Soil protection
85
85
Wildlife habitat
85
82
Timber production
20
27
Timber Oriented?
Landowner Categories
Woodland
Retreat
Owners
Supplemental
Income Owners
Working
the Land
Owners
Uninvolved
Owners
Percentage Owners by Category in
MD
Percentage of Owners
60
55
50
40
25
30
15
20
5
10
0
Woodland
Retreat
Noticeably above
national average
Working the
Land
Supplemental
Income
Noticeably below
national average
Uninvolved
• Own woodlands for beauty and
recreational value
• Love nature and animals and appreciate
the ecological values of woods
• Of all owner groups, lowest interest in
forest products
Common Misconceptions!
MWS Quiz
True or False?
• Leaving woodlands alone is best for
wildlife & forest health.
• Managing woodlands takes a lot of
money and time.
• Many woodlands are too small for
management.
Leaving the forest alone is best for
wildlife, forest health, & biodiversity
How to educate landowners information so
they can make informed decisions!
Maryland Woodland Stewards
Class of 2013
• Teach how to use sound woodland stewardship practices to
improve wildlife habitat and improve other forest benefits.
• Help others see the forest & wildlife potential & find
professionals to help them.
Overall Reach of Program
Since 1990…
• 454 individuals with a total ownership of
69,040 acres have participated in the 3.5
training workshop and other followup
activities.
• 74% remain engaged
History of the Program
• Known as the Coverts Project
from 1990 – 2006
– Covert - a thicket for wildlife habitat
• Sponsored by The Ruffed Grouse Society
• 2007 name changed but program mission
and objectives the same.
– Teaching woodland owners and managers how
sound forest stewardship practices can result in
healthier, more diverse, and more abundant
wildlife
Basics of the Program
• Careful selection process
– 25 volunteers. Looking for engaged, interested
and sharing applicants
• 3.5 day fall training workshop
– Combination of classroom and outdoor
demonstration areas
– Provide knowledge of forest & wildlife
management planning and how to share what you
learn with others.
Classroom
Field sites
Small groups
Basics of the Program
In return for the training Maryland Woodland
Stewards agree to:
• Develop & implement a forest stewardship plan
• Commit to 40 hours of outreach to friends,
neighbors, relatives, or others in their community
to encourage forest stewardship.
• Be an advocate in their community in ways they
feel they can be most effective
Key Concepts of Outreach
• Trained opinion leaders in a community are a
credible source of information
– “Neighbor Helping Neighbor”
• Forest stewardship practices need to be seen
to be understood
– “Education Through Demonstration”
• Limited resources are best leveraged by
training and supporting volunteers
Making Informed Forest
Management Decisions
Using sustainable
practices to
improve wildlife
habitat. Avoiding
conflicts!
Avoid Highgrading
Poor Harvest Practices
Resources We Provide Before
Training Workshop
• Targeted to Larger
Acreage Owners
• Use Professional
Forestry Assistance
• Forest Resource Management: A
Landowner’s Guide to Getting
Started
Targeted to Small
Acreage Owners
The Woods in Your Backyard:
Learning to Create and Enhance
Natural Areas Around Your
Home
* Self assessment guide anyone can use
* Focus on creating natural areas and changing
lawn to natural areas
Rationale Behind Maryland
Woodland Stewards
• How and from whom people
receive information (in this case
forest & wildlife management)
has a great impact on whether
or not they take action
Sources of Communication For Private
Landowners
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Public
Forester
Private
Forester
Friend, Lit by mail Radio, TV
Neighbor
60
40
20
0
percent (%)
80
Relative Effect of Communication Source on
Adoption of Woodlot Management Practices
Public
Forester
Private
Forester
Peers
Mail
Little or no effect – Moderate effect
Considerable effect
Media
Who Disseminates New Ideas?
• Innovators: Venturesome
• Late majority: Skeptical
• Early Adopters: Respectible • Laggards: Traditional
• Early majority: Deliberate
Bill
Roosenberg
Tree Farmer
Coverts Cooperator
Early Adopter
Annual Surveys of Volunteers
20 year averages
Outreach
• 2,326 persons received forest/wildlife
information on a one-to-one basis
• 63% organized forest or wildlife event
• 26% used the media
• 38% of cooperators reported others sought
forestry assistance as a result of a contact
them initiated.
Annual Surveys of Volunteers
20 year averages
Volunteer Time
• Stewards contributed an average of
2,343 hour per year in education and
outreach – 39,830 hours during the life
of the program
• Averaged 12,739 hours per year in
management efforts on their property
over the life of the program
How Do Cooperators Get
Involved?
• Forestry organizations such as Tree Farm,
Maryland Forestry Association, Forestry
Boards
• Local community organizations
• Host tours & reaching out to friends,
neighbors, and relatives in a number of ways.
www.extension.umd.edu/woodland
What History Are YOU Writing?
Questions?