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Small Woodlots

Do you own 25 acres or less? If so, you are one of a fast growing segment of forest landowners. And, you may have noticed that forest management activities conducted on larger parcels of land may not be appropriate for your land. Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on America's Private Forests, a publication from the USDA Forest Service, examines the issues facing landowners and natural resource managers in the wildland-urban interface. 

This page is intended to provide resources for those of you interested in actively managing your smaller woodlots, for objectives such as: 

  • exercise
  • hobbies
  • inexpensive family activities
  • education
  • firewood
  • wildlife habitat
  • aesthetic beauty
  • supplemental income
  • less mowing
Woodshed well-stocked with Ailanthus firewood.
Small woodlots can provide valuable products, such as firewood.

A great place to start is with the Woods in Your Backyard manual.  

A number of  Woods in Your Backyard workshops, based on the manual, are offered across Virginia each year.  Visit the Events Calendar to find a workshop near you.  See program trailer here.

Also check out:

The Annual Woods & Wildlife Conferences provide stewardship information for owners of both large and small forests.  The conferences are held in February each year.

Upcoming programs for owners of small woodlots:

  • Sorry, we have nothing scheduled at this time.
Participants use a key to identify plants.
Participants in a Woods in Your Backyard class learn to use a key to identify unknown plant species.