Science and Nature

Managing Your Forest for Wildlife and More: the Master Woodland Owner Program

KAXE | By Scott Hall,

John Latimer, Heidi Holtan, Charlie Mitchell

Published January 13, 2023 at 2:35 PM CST

A moose calf and its mother are shown in a field just in front of a spruce forest. The calf is licking its mother's nose, and the mother is turned toward the calf. There are purple flowers in the foreground.

This week, Josh Donatell (Department of Natural Resources Forester) and Jeff Jackson (University of Minnesota Extension Educator) joined the Morning Show to discuss the Woodland Master Owner program! The course helps landowners create goals for their woodland, connect with local resource experts, and learn to manage their forests for wildlife, scenic, or harvest uses. Topics also include soil types, climate change, and controlling invasive species like buckthorn! Check it out here.

The following notice was provided by the University of Minnesota.

Itasca County Private Woodland Owner Course

University of Minnesota Extension will be conducting a Master Woodland Owner Course in Itasca County starting in February and ending in May 2023*. On-line application for the course can be found at: https://z.umn.edu/mwo-itasca-application

The Master Woodland Owner program delivers a complete training program for private woodland owners interested in becoming better stewards of their woodlands (https://extension.umn.edu/natural-resources/master-woodland-owner).

This landowner education program teaches family forest owners the ins and outs of forest health, management for recreation and wildlife, monetizing your land, estate planning and taxes, and more.
The five-month course will include three in-person half-day field workshops, three evening virtual learning sessions, and fourteen online modules that participants complete on their own time.
Online topics are offered as a series of self-paced modules with exercises and group discussions. In-person events enable you to learn hands-on and engage with instructors and fellow woodland owners.

* The course will be limited to 35 participants. Typical course registration is $295 for participants, registration for this class is at a reduced rate ($45) for Itasca County landowners. For questions, please contact Jeff Jackson, Extension Educator, at jeffj@umn.edu or 612-581-7238.