Bridging the Gender Gap in Forest Stewardship: Facilitating Programs for Women Landowners

Nationwide, women woodland owners are increasingly taking on the primary decision-making role for their land. In Wisconsin and beyond, most existing landowner outreach efforts target mixed-gender audiences. We explored how facilitation techniques can be incorporated into a women-centric workshop to increase women landowners\u27 confidence, knowledge, and readiness to take action in forest stewardship. We highlight three core techniques Extension workshop developers can use to promote landowner learning and engagement: creating space for participant-driven open dialogue, generating opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, and enabling participants to receive personalized advice from professionals about their land

Informing Business-Related Educational Needs Through Facilitated Roundtable Discussions with Forest Landowners and Service Providers

Following a daylong symposium featuring tax-oriented presentations, attendees participated in facilitated roundtable discussions centered on identification of educational needs and challenges associated with the symposium subject matter. Participants discussed their educational needs; challenges related to local, state, and federal tax laws; and recommendations for policy changes. Qualitative data gathered from participants will inform future educational programming and guide discussions about potential policy changes

Making Land Health Meaningful to Private Landowners in Southwestern Wisconsin

There are over nine million acres of forested land in the state of Wisconsin owned by over 175,000 private landowners (Sustaining Family Forest Initiative, 2009). These landowners have the potential to impact the future of natural resources in the state, and many are looking to expand their capacity to make informed management decisions for their land. The concept of land health could provide a vision to guide conservation efforts, as well serve as an entry point for conversation between natural resource professionals and private landowners. This thesis is comprised of three studies which explore different aspects of understanding how landowners perceive this concept and how it can be communicated to landowner audiences. The first study explores landowners’ perceptions of land health. Findings from seven focus groups conducted in Southwestern Wisconsin (n=40) suggest that perception is influenced by land tenure and level of commitment to engagement in management of the land. The second study segments the study sample (n=40) based on the level of engagement and interest in forestry practices, according to an equation developed by Butler et al., (2007). Results demonstrate that the equations may need to be modified for regional populations and need to consider local opportunities. The third study explores landowners’ (n=40) preferences for language that could be used to develop education and outreach materials for discussing land health. The questionnaire results confirm focus group findings that preferences are based on engagement with the land. Overall, these three studies suggest that one definition for land health will not appeal to all audiences. Messaging will need to take into account landowner attitudes, behaviors, and motivations to ensure that the message resonates and inspires action to work towards land health