Women landowners across the eastern United States (and beyond) have an incredible new resource at their fingertips in the form of the Women on the Land: A Landowner's Guide to Stewarding her Woodlands. With this publication, women woodland owners will learn to better understand their woodlands and make informed decisions to meet their goals.
The publication came to life through a collaboration between Olivia Lukacic and Paul Catanzaro of UMass Amherst and Emily Huff of Michigan State University. It is the culmination of Olivia's master's research, based on National Woodland Owners Survey data and on interviews with women landowners and forestry professionals across the eastern United States. The publication identifies and addresses some of the most common questions, goals, and challenges women landowners voiced about land stewardship and forest management.
In May 2021, Women Owning Woodlands partnered with the authors to offer a four-part webinar series based on the publication. Over four Wednesdays in May, speakers from across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Lake States--women landowners and professionals--spoke on a range of topics including:
- Forest ecology and forest succession
- Creating a plan and working with a forester
- Active management
- Planning for the future of your woodland
The full recordings of these sessions are available online at the links above!
Check out Women on the Land for engaging and accessible lessons on forest ecology, how to set goals for what you’d like for your land, passive and active approaches to woodland stewardship, working with professional foresters and loggers, the financial side of woodland ownership, and much more.
The publication also includes profiles of seven women who own woodland properties across the northeastern U.S. These women share the context of their land, acreage, management considerations and what professionals, tools, and resources they’ve employed to support their stewardship.
The full pdf of the publication is now available. Hard copies may be available through your local WOW group!