Online Woodland Options for Landowners Short Course

This 10-week self-paced on-line course is offered once a year. It teaches the fundamentals of forest management. The next class will be offered in the spring of 2027. Details will be available in January.  

Topics include:

• Setting management goals and objectives
• Forest history
• Stewardship and sustainability
• Marking your boundary lines, and locating, reading, and understanding your deed
• Using maps, photos, Google Earth, and soil surveys
• Forest ecology and management
• Sources of assistance and planning options
• Syllabus

Upon completion of the program, you can have a draft forest management plan. Natural resource professionals serve as mentors and the class winds up with an optional end-of-the-semester hands-on field trip. 

There are two levels of participation. 

• Basic level - requires completing reading assignments, quizzes and evaluations (1-2 hours per Module)
• Advanced level - includes all of the basic level requirements, plus field activities (3 or more hours per Module, depending on the size of your property)

Participants can choose to complete none, some, or all of the advanced level activities.  

Registration includes:

Five books: Welcome to the Woods! A Guide for New Virginia Woodland Owners, Common Forest Trees of Virginia, Common Shrubs and Woody Vines of Virginia, A Sand County Almanac, and Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas

as well as all online course materials, discussions with natural resource professionals, an online Tree ID tutorial, optional videos, webinars, and the field trip,