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The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) is the national trade association of the forest, pulp, paper, paperboard, and wood products industry. Many AF&PA companies that purchase wood from private lands offer forest landowner assistance programs. Through these programs, industry foresters assist with management planning, conduct periodic forest inspections, and assist landowners in obtaining cost-share assistance. In addition, some companies offer high-quality pine seedlings for reforestation at no cost. AF&PA member companies work closely with state and private natural resource agencies to provide quality logger and landowner education programs. Visit their site for tools for teachers, industry news, and much more.

The American Forest Foundation (AFF) is committed to creating a future where North American forests are sustained by the public that understand and values the social, economic, and environmental benefits they provide to our communities, our nation, and the world.  AFF provides financial support for the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program's Real Forestry for Real Estate program.  

The American Tree Farm System (ATFS) is a private program of the American Forest Foundation with a mission to promote growth of renewable forest resources on private lands while protecting environmental benefits and increasing public understanding of all benefits of productive forestry. State ATFS committees bring foresters, consultants, and government agency officials together with experienced tree farmers to plan and administer each state ATFS program. The ATFS is a nationally recognized certification system and the oldest woodland management recognition system in the world. Visit their website to learn about how you can become a Tree Farmer.  The ATFS is a supporter of the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program.  

Need to hire a professional forester? (If you are planning on conducting a timber sale, the answer is yes!). Before you hire someone, check to see if they are a member of the Association of Consulting Foresters, a professional organization for forestry service providers.

An example of a different approach to rural development in Albemarle County.

The Bugwood Network is a program of the Warnell School of Forestry at the University of Georgia . Here you will find thousands of high-quality photos of insects, diseases, exotic invasives, integrated pest management activities and more. All available for download free of charge when used for educational purposes.

This site is designed for people who own agricultural land in the United States, but do not live on or operate that land. It’s for landowners who are interested in natural resources conservation and who want to learn more information about available programs, resources and support.

The Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri, established in 1998, is one the world's leading centers contributing to the science underlying agroforestry, the science and practice of intensive land-use management combining trees and/or shrubs with crops and/or livestock.

This site is designed to help Virginia residents and municipal leaders identify potential sources of assistance when confronted with problematic wild animal concerns.  

Each year VFLEP teams up with Clemson's MTF to provide a regional natural resource education program via webinar. Stay tuned for the 2016 topic.

The College of Natural Resources and Environment prepares the future generation of leaders to deal with the complex natural resources issues facing our planet. World-class faculty lead transformational research that complements the student learning experience and impacts citizens and communities across the state and around the world on issues of sustainability, natural resources management, and the environment.

Much of the timber management information in this publication is based on long-term crop tree release research conducted by the Timber Management Research Project at the Fernow Experimental Forest in Parsons, West Virginia. This work was started in the mid 1960's.  Integration of wildlife and aesthetic concepts began in Morgantown in 1987 when Forest Resources Management personnel of the Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry, were looking for a means of accomplishing multiple landowner objectives on the private, non-industrial forest. In 1990, the Crop Tree Management concept was expanded to include accomplishment of water-quality objectives.

This Department is one of the top programs in natural resource management in the United States. Our top-flight education and research focus on the latest applications to uncover the science needed to manage forests and other natural resources. Our programs are diverse and approach critical natural resource issues from many disciplinary perspectives. From protected areas management and economic policy to forest soil productivity, urbanization, and genomics, we seek to discover new knowledge and technology to address the global challenges to come.

Find answers to your questions about the emerald ash borer - where is it? What is being done about it? Who should you contact if you suspect an outbreak in your area? And more....

eXtension is an interactive learning environment delivering the best, most researched knowledge from the best land-grant university minds across America. eXtension connects knowledge consumers with knowledge providers - experts who know their subject matter inside out.  eXtension offers: credible expertise, reliable answers based upon sound research, connections to the best minds in American universities, creative solutions to today's complex challenges, customized answers to your specific needs. Trustworthy, field-tested data, and dynamic, relevant and timely answers.

If you are a current farmer, thinking of retiring, or an up and coming farmer, Farm link can help you transfer or acquire farmland.

The Flora of Virginia describes approximately 3,200 taxa in 200 families and features 1,400 captioned, scaled, and botanically accurate illustrations. Introductory material includes essays on the natural history and vegetation of Virginia and a historical account of botanical exploration in the state, as well as a key to the vascular plant families represented in the Flora. A glossary, bibliography, and comprehensive index are also provided.

Welcome to the Forest Encyclopedia Network. This site provides natural resource professionals and the public the scientific knowledge and tools they need to achieve their objectives. The Network is designed to connect scientific results, conclusions, and impacts with management needs and issues. Now the every-expanding scientific knowledge base of forest information is being organized into an integrated system that can be easily accessed and used. The Forest Encyclopedia Network consists of a growing number of encyclopedias covering different fields of forest science.

Interested in learning about using wood to generate energy? Visit this website for information on bioenergy options and issues. Events, links, and free images (for educational purposes) are all available. This site also includes a glossary, Power Point presentations, and training tools. A good site for educators.

A partnership between states and the USDA Forest Service developed to identify and protect environmentally important forests from conversion to non-forest uses. The main tool used for protecting these important forests is conservation easements. The federal government may fund up to 75 percent of program costs with at least 25 percent coming from state, private or local sources.

The Forest Stewardship Council mission is to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial and economically prosperous management of the world's forests.  Our vision is that we can meet our current needs for forest products without compromising the health of the world’s forests for future generations.

The Forest Stewardship Program (FSP) is one of the main financial sponsors of the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program.  The Forest Stewardship Program provides technical assistance, through State forestry agency partners, to nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) owners to encourage and enable active long-term forest management. A primary focus of the Program is the development of comprehensive, multi-resource management plans that provide landowners with the information they need to manage their forests for a variety of products and services.

The entire list of invasive alien plant species of Virginia (PDF) is available on-line as a .PDF file. This is an advisory list published by the Department of Conservation & Recreation (VDCR) to inform land managers of potential risks associated with certain plant species known to exhibit invasive behavior in some situations.

The Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway seeks to understand, to demonstrate, and to promote excellence in natural resource management and conservation on the landscape of the southeastern coastal plain of the United States.

The School of Forest Resources & Conservation is a unit within the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). We are home to three distinct, yet integrated, program areas: Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Forest Resources and Conservation, and Geomatics.  Our faculty, staff, and students conduct research, teaching, and extension that cuts across a wide range of environments and disciplines.

The professional society for forestry professionals.  Learn about what they do.

This site is designed to assist you in locating current research and resources on storm damage risk and pruning. The site features recent research and is intended to act as a springboard for seeking out further information. This is a joint effort of the urban forestry and arboriculture programs at the University of Massachusetts and Virginia Tech and the urban horticulture program at Virginia Tech..

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is one of the main financial sponsors of the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program. The SFI program was launched in 1994 as one of the U.S. forest sector’s contributions to the vision of sustainable development established by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Its original principles and implementation guidelines began in 1995, and it evolved as the first SFI national standard backed by third-party audits in 1998.

The National Timber Tax Website was developed to be used by timberland owners, as well as a reference for accountants, attorneys, consulting foresters and other professionals who work with timberland owners regarding the tax treatment of timber related activities.

Explore this website to learn more about woodcock, the plan for their recovery, and how to improve and create habitat for timberdoodles and the other wild animals with which they share the landscape.

The USDA Forest Service is entrusted with 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands.. We are dedicated to the improvement of water resources, development of climate change resiliency, creation of jobs that will sustain communities and restoration and enhancement of landscapes.

Agroforestry intentionally combines agriculture and forestry to create integrated and sustainable land-use systems. Agroforestry takes advantage of the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock. Visit this site to learn more about agroforestry options for landowners.  

If you are a beekeeper or interested in becoming one (and I highly recommend it!), visit this site for beekeeping information, educational opportunities and more. 

We promote the economic growth and development of Virginia agriculture, provide consumer protection and encourage environmental stewardship.

DCR, with the cooperation of partners and customers, is a leader in: providing tangible and lasting improvements to the quality of Virginia's resource lands and waters; serving as a trusted steward of the outdoor recreational and natural resources placed under its care; promoting the conservation and enjoyment of Virginia's diverse and unique environment and rich cultural legacy for future generations; protecting public safety through regulatory programs and conservation law enforcement; and recognizing the value of its dedicated and committed workforce.

The Virginia Department of Forestry: protects 15.8 million acres of forest land from fire, insects and disease and manages 22 State Forest lands totaling 67,920 acres for timber, recreation, water, research, wildlife and biodiversity.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources' mission is: to manage Virginia's wildlife and inland fish to maintain optimum populations of all species to serve the needs of the Commonwealth; to provide opportunity for all to enjoy wildlife, inland fish, boating and related outdoor recreation and to work diligently to safeguard the rights of the people to hunt, fish and harvest game as provided for in the Constitution of Virginia; to promote safety for persons and property in connection with boating, hunting and fishing; to provide educational outreach programs and materials that foster an awareness of and appreciation for Virginia's fish and wildlife resources, their habitats, and hunting, fishing, and boating opportunities.

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation was established in 1966, "to promote the preservation of open-space lands and to encourage private gifts of money, securities, land or other property to preserve the natural, scenic, historic, scientific, open-space and recreational areas of the Commonwealth."  The primary mechanism for accomplishing VOFs mission is through open-space easements. Open-space easements allow land to continue to be privately owned but restricted to serve and protect land for the public good.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 215 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 30,000 students and manages a research portfolio of more than $450 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.