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fingerlakespermaculture - Oct. 13-16: Women and their Woods: Building a Network of Women Forest Landowners

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  • From: Sandra Repp <sjr37 AT cornell.edu>
  • To: fingerlakespermaculture AT lists.ibiblio.org, nwaeg-l AT cornell.edu
  • Subject: Oct. 13-16: Women and their Woods: Building a Network of Women Forest Landowners
  • Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:01:27 -0400

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Peter J Smallidge <pjs23 AT cornell.edu>
To: CCE-FORESTRY-L <CCE-FORESTRY-L AT list.cornell.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 1:43 PM
Subject: Women and their Woods, new Penn State educational program

FYI, see below.  This looks like a good opportunity.  Note the August 1 deadline for applications.  Please share broadly.
Peter
 
 
Women and their Woods: Building a Network of Women Forest Landowners
 
Throughout our region, women are increasingly responsible for the care and stewardship of private forestlands; they outlive spouses, inherit forestland from parents, or just seek their own woodlot. Yet these women may often lack the confidence, knowledge, and access to resources that allow them to be successful. Anecdotally, resource professionals report few interactions with women landowners until after something adverse has happened to the land. This puts women at higher personal economic risk, which results not only in poor management of resources, but high likelihood of the sale and conversion of working land to a non-forest use such as development.
 
A study of forest landowner offspring conducted for the National Association of State Foresters showed that 83% of women sampled were interested in managing their family forestland when transfer occurred, but only 34% felt they had enough knowledge to make forest management decisions (Mater 2005). Mater showed that women offspring and beginning women managers often had different land management objectives than their male counterparts; women expressed a stronger commitment to ecology and stewardship, but lacked the confidence and economic resources to implement their goals. Other studies have shown that for women a major barrier to involvement with forestry organizations is a feeling of not being welcome and a perception of lacking in basic vocabulary and knowledge which makes attending meetings intimidating. Despite increased gender-equity in recent years as more women become natural resources professionals, the field of forestry, and the resources needed to practice it, is still male-dominated.
 
Faced with the need to make decisions about their lands, women are seeking information in other formats on how to care for and manage their land. Many find that being involved in a woodland owner network or otherwise linked to professional resources provides necessary information regarding conservation options available. Others aren't sure where to start in seeking out resources to care for their land. A desire to be more connected and learn with and from other women in similar land management roles has led a group of women forest landowners in northeast Pennsylvania to form Women and their Woods.
 
In 2008, with the support of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and the USDA Forest Service at Grey Towers, a group of women landowners met to learn more about the forests they own and how to connect with other women forest landowners. During each meeting, women gather, share information, ask questions, meet professionals, and enjoy a hearty potluck. Everyone walks away from the event with more confidence and ideas on how to better care for their land. In addition to providing information, the Women and their Woods program seeks to instill a sense of stewardship and knowledge about the value of intact forestland.
 
With an increased interest in promoting educational opportunities for women forest landowners, the Conservancy and Penn State’s Natural Resources Extension, with funding from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service, are offering outreach and education to women forest landowners across Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to informative newsletters and emails about events and cost share incentive programs, the partnership is offering a long-weekend educational retreat for women forest landowners from October 13-16.
 
We invite women who own or manage forestland to join us for a weekend full of educational programs related to the care and management of forestland. We are seeking interested women to be a part of this opportunity to create a network and serve as mentors to other women forest landowners across the region.
 
The cost to attend the four day retreat is $130 and covers all lodging and meals, all materials, and nationally known presenters at Camp Susque near Trout Run, Lycoming County, in the scenic Pennsylvania Wilds. The deadline to submit applications is August 1, 2011. 
 
Post retreat, attendees will be encouraged to reach out to other women landowners and share their knowledge about the Women and their Woods program in their own community, with the goal of forming regional networking groups for women forest landowners across the region. Through ongoing trainings and meetings, these groups will continue to receive the support of Extension and the Conservancy.
 
If you are interested in being involved with the Women and their Woods group, contact Allyson Muth at Penn State (814-865-3208, abm173 AT psu.edu) for an application or for more information.
 
Mater, C.M. 2005. Family forests: What will the next generation do? Address to the National Association of State Foresters. Available online at www.pinchot.org/?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=52.
Allyson Brownlee Muth, Ed.D.
Forest Stewardship Program Associate

The Pennsylvania State University
333 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA  16802
(814) 865-3208


  • Oct. 13-16: Women and their Woods: Building a Network of Women Forest Landowners, Sandra Repp, 07/14/2011

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