A View from the Minnesota Woods

Think about your favorite place in Minnesota. Chances are the view includes trees, and maybe even large tracts of forest. Those trees provide wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, timber, beauty, and a unique sense of place. They may seem timeless, but our forests are continually changing. This presentation discussed those changes, driven by little green bugs, warming winters, changing markets, and of course...us. Additionally, how emerging research is helping us to better understand our collective history and how we have shaped our forests and they, in turn, have shaped our culture and history. A focus will be steps we can all take to ensure the continued health, productivity, and beauty of forests of the Driftless and beyond. Eli Sagor is an Extension Specialist for the Cloquet Forestry Center at the University of Minnesota and the Program Manager for the Sustainable Forests Education Cooperative. He holds degrees from McGill University (B.S. \u2796), Yale University (M.F. 1999) and the University of Minnesota (Ph.D. 2013)

Using external revenue and partnerships to sustain an Extension forestry program

This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu.The Woodland Advisor program moved from a cohort participation model to an open model in 2003. This change created new partnerships, expanded delivery capacity, and increased external revenues. Classes now offered have flexible class content and schedules, new electives are created from participant feedback, and program marketing and volunteer support have been increased. Additionally, more business tools are used to help focus activities and identify areas of potential growth

External revenue and partnerships to sustain a forest landowner education program

This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu.The Woodland Advisor program moved from a cohort to an open model in 2003. This created partnerships, expanded delivery, and increased external revenues. Classes now have flexible content and schedules, participant feedback focuses new electives, and marketing and volunteer support increased. Business tools also focus activities and identify growth areas

Family Communication and Multigenerational Learning in an Intergenerational Land Transfer Class

Recognizing intergenerational differences sets the stage for sharing and learning across the generations. An intergenerational land transfer education class was designed to engage families around the issue of parcelization and development of forested lands. A post-class survey of the Intergenerational Land Transfer class was used to evaluate outcomes. Recognizing intergenerational differences in learning was found to be important in catalyzing family discussion and protect working forestlands. This article provides an example of a multi-generational approach to teaching. This approach has implications for program areas beyond agriculture and forestry

The Minnesota Maple Series: Community-Generated Knowledge Delivered Through an Extension Website

Extension continuously seeks novel and effective approaches to outreach and education. The recent retirement of a longtime content specialist catalyzed members of University of Minnesota Extension\u27s Forestry team to reflect on our instructional capacity (internal and external) and educational design in the realm of maple syrup production. We responded by developing an educational maple blog series that incorporated faculty and community expertise through a participatory, peer-to-peer approach. The blog series expanded and strengthened the state\u27s maple knowledge network, met contributors\u27 and users\u27 content needs and expectations, influenced maple practices, and retained program flexibility for adaptation

Lake Home & Cabin Kit, Second Edition

100 pages. 57 loose-leaf fact sheets in a 3-ring binder. Includes blank "Contacts" card for property owners to fill out. Includes a list of Minnesota Extension Regional Centers with contact information. This item is available for purchase at the University of Minnesota Extension Store .This archival publication may not reflect current scientific knowledge or recommendations. Current information available from the University of Minnesota Extension: https://www.extension.umn.edu.This guide for lake home and cabin owners includes the following sections: Home & Septic Systems; Trees & Woodlands; Shoreland & Water Quality; Wildlife & Insects; Resources & Records.University of Minnesota Extension Service; University of Minnesota College of Natural Resources; University of Minnesota College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences

Assessing the Value of Video Resources in Extension-led Natural Resources Management Continuing Education Programs

Effective delivery of continuing education programs can improve their impact. Using the first of four two-week modules of a professional short course, we tested outcomes of a flipped classroom approach, comparing professional foresters’ completion rates, preference for, and perceived value of pre-module content delivered via video and reading. Participants in the National Advanced Silviculture Program self-reported significantly higher pre-module completion rates, preference for, and perceived value of video over reading. This simple study suggests the potential for video to serve as an accessible and preferred format for delivery of key content to supplement an in-person continuing education program

Assessing the Value of Video Resources in Extension-led Natural Resources Management Continuing Education Programs

Effective delivery of continuing education programs can improve their impact. Using the first of four two-week modules of a professional short course, we tested outcomes of a flipped classroom approach, comparing professional foresters’ completion rates, preference for, and perceived value of pre-module content delivered via video and reading. Participants in the National Advanced Silviculture Program self-reported significantly higher pre-module completion rates, preference for, and perceived value of video over reading. This simple study suggests the potential for video to serve as an accessible and preferred format for delivery of key content to supplement an in-person continuing education program

Converting Face-to-Face Curricula for Online Delivery: Lessons Learned from a Biomass Harvesting Guidelines Curriculum

With shrinking budgets, staff reductions, and increased availability and access to digital technologies, Extension educators will be seeking ways to convert face-to-face programs to alternate formats. When converting Minnesota\u27s biomass harvesting guidelines for online delivery, we learned many lessons while planning, developing, and testing our curriculum that can help others through a similar process

Current Status and Trends of Silvicultural and Forest Health Practices in Minnesota: A 2017 Assessment

1 electronic resource (PDF; 56 pages