Strategy Target: Expand the use of peer-to-peer outreach through local woodland owner organizations and mentoring programs to improve family forest management.

Highlights . . .

Nationally -- Establishment of the FSC Family Forests Alliance as a forum for communication, cooperation, and information sharing - with participants in the Alliance able to pursue issues of common interest, learn from one another, and enlarge the community of landowners and small businesses practicing responsible forestry. We have successfully formed and expanded our local coop of FSC landowners and it is providing useful resources. The long established woodland owner groups are also strong and helpful.

. . . & Reports from Around the Country

Wisconsin -- Wisconsin Family Forests plans to develop the forest coordinator position as the key to engaging new woodland owners.
Nationally -- Sustainable Woods Network design has been completed and now ready for market launch. Some 22 private woodland owner groups in North America are active in it today listing services and products.

Washington -- Washington Farm Forestry Association tries, but it is a real up hill battle in Washington.
In our region, the Build Local Alliance is making both horizontal and vertical connections along the value chain for sustainably harvested and manufactured products. Starting to look at tourism or other investments that can help generate more $ to landowners and thus creates incentive to practice good forestry.

Virginia -- Again, the Blue Ridge Forest Cooperative and the introduction of the Australian approach to natural resource management called LandCare has been most helpful. The setting up of a local experimental forest by the Virginia Department of Forestry could prove to be very useful.

Indiana -- Indiana implemented a Demonstration Forest program in mid-2006. Twenty private landowners around the state have agreed to provide field days and public events as well as private tours with peer landowners. There are 5 public field days in April. IN Woodland Owners are sponsoring this program run by the DNR.

Colorado -- In Colorado, we are creating a network between the Colorado Forestry Association and tree farmers to develop a county by county group of motivated private forest landowners. The co-op is partnering with community ed. and extension service.

Minnesota -- The MN Forestry Association is working to develop it's chapter network. In addition, the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association is hosting the first ever Upper Midwest Workshop of Woodland Owner Organizations in April 2007. Participating will be up to 5 Board of Directors of organizations from the following states: Ohio, Indiana, Ill., Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and MN.

Massachusetts -- MA Woodlands Coop working with affordable housing project to supply hemlock 2x4s and possibly hemlock trusses.

The US Forest Service State & Private has partially funded a two-year research project to investigate peer-to-peer outreach programs targeting woodland owner (and related) audiences. This project will start in September 2007. The purpose will be to identify aspects of P2P programs that are (or are not) working well and should (or should not) be replicated to achieve specific program goals.

Minnesota -- Blandin Foundation, MN: funded a project with the University of Minnesota to bring online a Forester Locater website for family woodland owners. Groups are plugging along with work groups, educational programs etc. Groups need all the help they can get for hands on education. FSC certification has helped. Over 3000 forest landowners in 6 counties are engaged in peer to peer, organized forestry associations, reading material, one on one contacts, phone calls, or other forms of forestry education to increase their knowledge.

Wisconsin -- The number of conferences that attract private landowners is a good improvement. There are also a number of private landowner classes that facilitate landowners meeting each other. The Aldo Leopold Foundation offers courses through The Woodland School for landowners and resource professionals. This uses a consortium of teachers from federal, state, NGO, private to instruct on many subjects relevant to private landowners.

Minnesota/Wisconsin – The Collaborative meetings in the Minnesota/Wisconsin have been helpful.

Washington -- I still get Living Forest Co-op newsletters and we send ours (Methow Forest Owners) to LFC and other groups. EG Nadeau seems to be available to all of us as well as the continuously improving sustainable woods network website. Also, our local value-added non profit (making flooring from small diameter timber) has been assisted by the Healthy forests, Healthy Communities partnership and its affiliated peer network. Private Woodlands Committee's are very helpful, most private woodland owners do not own their woodlands for forest management so only a small percentage of property owners or open to or seeking these programs.

Oregon -- New classes of Master Woodland Managers through OSU Forestry Extension have continued to be trained, and sent off to accomplish neighbor-to-neighbor contacts. Woodland coops are growing in number. They are a new source of information and also give members opportunities meet people with similar interests. Again we attempt to reach out to people of all segments preaching the importance of management of their forestland. We find it very difficult to get people to join a landowner’s organization for one reason or another. We have been discussing a mentor program and are researching how best to set it up. Web based information and other materials that are available 24/7 may be the most useful strategy for peer-to-peer because you never know when some one will suddenly be seeking info. The challenge is to create and maintain visibility.

Vermont -- Vermont Woodlands Association is increasing its number of tours and workshops. Cooperating more with other state forestry organizations. Woodlot association meetings allow for peer outreach.

Oregon -- At state level, Oregon Small Woodlands Association has been active for the last 2-3 years, in partnership with Oregon State University, Sustainable Northwest and other partners (including Wallowa Resources). Locally, still some reluctance on landowners to organize although new interest is percolating and may result in better organization in future. Decline in budgets to Oregon Department of Forestry - Service Forestry program have not been sufficiently offset by other mentoring / advisory services. Professional service to small and new forest landowners is needed.

American Forests continues to work on regional capacity building efforts. We have specifically been targeting the Northeastern and Appalachian US recently, though our hope is to spread this effort to the whole of the east and midwest so as to better unite efforts around community-based forestry.

Wisconsin -- There is a pilot effort on-going in Wisconsin to link landowners in small geographic areas to one another and create easier paths to sustainability. We'll have a better sense of success a year from now.