Climate Change Education: Engaging Family Private Forest Owners on Issues Related to Climate Change: A Workshop Summary by Alexandra S. Beatty

Author:Alexandra S. Beatty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: The National Academies Press
Published: 2014-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 3-1 Bitterroot National Forest, 1909.

SOURCE: U.S. Forest Service.

FIGURE 3-2 Bitterroot National Forest, 1948.

SOURCE: U.S. Forest Service.

FIGURE 3-3 Bitterroot National Forest, 1979.

SOURCE: U.S. Forest Service.

FIGURE 3-4 Bitterroot National Forest, 1989.

SOURCE: U.S. Forest Service.

Lyman explained that a range of factors has helped motivate communities in northern New England and eastern Canada to purchase and manage forestland, and changes in the forest products industry and land ownership have affected people on a personal level. Jobs have been eliminated and cultural traditions have been affected. For many communities, the possibility of determining for themselves what will happen with their land has been a major influence. Some come to the idea through a focus on managing growth, whereas others are focused on protecting a landmark. Economic concerns—such as promoting recreation and tourism or protecting logging operations—may also motivate them to manage and protect forestland.

In response to a question about efforts to reach landowners who are members of minority groups, Walkingstick noted that Arkansas’s extension has focused on women landowners, but acknowledged that they need to do a much better job reaching out to minorities. Labich agreed, noting that though there has been very little focus on minorities in the New England region, his group bases its work on the understanding that “not all woodland owners are the same.” (This theme is further explored in Chapter 4.)

Sagor added that Minnesota has a reasonably large American Indian community and that extension has worked with the Fond du Lac reservation and other groups to understand and respond to their needs. For example, he noted, he and his colleagues have recognized that the Native American communities are very strongly connected to the natural areas in which they live, but are not generally personal owners of forestland. The ash tree is a species with a very high cultural significance in the region, and he and his colleagues have looked for ways to take that into account in addressing the problem of the invasive emerald ash borer.

Finley concluded the session by noting that many of the presentations and discussions stressed the need to understand the values and goals of forestland owners. Thus, he stated, successful extension and education about climate change and forest management requires the tailoring of messages and programs to the needs and values of forestland owners.

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1Labich referred participants to the September 2013 issue of the Journal of Forestry for more information on regional partnerships.

2For more information, see http://www.highstead.net/about/history.shtml and http://www.wildlandsandwoodlands.org/ [January 2014].

3See http://www.northernforest.org/Community_Forest_Collaborative.html [January 2014].

4See http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/ [January 2014].

5See http://extension.psu.edu/natural-resources/forests/private/stewardship/pennsylvania-forest-stewards [January 2014].

6For more information, see http://www.montrealprocess.org [January 2014].

7GIS is a method of amassing geographic data in digital form so that large volumes of data can be analyzed spatially.

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