In the Eastern United
States, roughly 60% of privately owned forestland is owned by landowners
with parcels under 10 acres. The Woods in Your Backyard manual
was created by forestry experts and extension educators as a resource
for owners of 1-10 acres of land. The 138-page publication provides
a step-by-step process that includes detailing objectives, drawing
a map, inventory and planning activities, and includes a focus on
converting lawns to forest. Case studies and a workbook help landowners
through the steps.
Some documents are in an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).
You will need Adobe Reader to view them. To download this program,
click on the following image. Follow the instructions to install
a free copy of Adobe Reader.
Requests to use any of the images in the PowerPoint presentations
for purposes other than training or education associated with The
Woods in Your Backyard (NRAES-184)manual should be sent
to the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES),
Cooperative Extension, P.O. Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557. (607)
255-7654. NRAES holds the copyright on the publication.
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments on improving
these resources, please send them to Jonathan Kays at jkays@umd.edu.
The
Woods in Your Backyard Ordering Information
The
Woods in Your Backyard can be purchased from the Natural
Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES) for $18
per copy plus shipping, but quantity discounts up to 40% are available
when you buy multiple copies. The following files provide information
on obtaining copies of the manual.
The
Woods in Your Backyard Resources
The following files are PowerPoint presentations that can be viewed
using Adobe Reader; PowerPoint is not required for viewing.
If you would like to edit any of the presentations for your own use,
open your PowerPoint program, then open the *.ppt file from the CD
from within PowerPoint. Make your edits and save on your hard drive
or removable disk. If you would like to use the presentation as is,
use the pdf version.
1) The following presentation, The Woods in Your Backyard
Overview, was developed for use as a stand alone presentation
for an audience of those interested in using the manual for themselves,
or those who would like to teach others about The Woods in Your
Backyard. It is designed to be used when each person in the
audience has a copy of the manual and can follow along and become
familiar with the materials. It provides some overview of why backyard
forests are important, and then goes through the manual describing
the key lessons and activities. The slides have the specific page
numbers for the activity or lesson so the class can follow along.
For most audiences, a 1.5 - 2 hour workshop is required to cover
the material.
2) The following are presentations which follow The Woods in
Your Backyard manual. They were designed to be used for a 5-part
course. Each presentation would last for about 1 to 1.5 hours, ending
with instructions for reading and completing a section of the manual
before the next class. The instructor should feel free to combine
or adapt the presentations as needed for their purposes and audience.
Class 1
Introduction and Assessing Your
Interests in Your Land
3) This presentation contains information on wildlife habitat, plant
communities, and wildlife populations. It could be used for a one-time
session explaining these concepts in depth to those who would like
to learn more about wildlife and land management principles.
Concepts of Forest and Wildlife Ecology and
Management for the Backyard
4) The supplemental resource list is a version of the manual's reference
list including hyperlinks to the source or to the linked files included
on this CD. Supplemental Resources
Resources
for Sharing The Woods in Your Backyard
This press release can be printed out as is or edited and sent out
to local newspapers and magazines.
Pennsylvania: Jim Finley - Associate Professor of Forest Resources,
Penn State (814) 863-0402. fj4@psu.edu
Virginia: Adam Downing - Natural Resources Extension Agent, Virginia
Cooperative Extension (540) 948-6881. adowning@vt.edu
Additional
Resources
Backyard
Woods: Bring Your Vision to Life
This 44-page publication was developed by USDA Forest Service, Northeastern
Area State and Private Forestry: Newtown Square, PA. NA-IN-02-05.
Published in January 2005. This is a great resource. A copy may
be available from your state forester, or online on the National
Arbor Day Foundation web site www.arborday.org/backyardwoods.
A PDF version is available on this CD by clicking here.
Backyard Woods: Bring Your Vision to Life (entire
manual)
Backyard Conservation:
Bringing Conservation From the Countryside to Your Backyard
This 28-page publication developed by the Natural Resource Conservation
Service (NRCS) shows you how conservation practices that are used
on agricultural land across the country to conserve and improve
natural resources can be adapted for use on the land around your
home. These practices help the environment and can make your yard
more attractive and enjoyable. The publication may be available
from the NRCS office in your county or can be downloaded from the
web at www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard.
Click here
to access the PDF format of this publication on this CD.
The following tip sheets are also available on the above web site.
View each tip sheet individually by clicking on the links below,
or view them all together here.
Backyard Conservation: Bringing Conservation
From the Countryside to Your Backyard (entire manual)
Forests on the Edge: Housing Development
on America's Private Forests
This 16-page publication was developed by USDA Forest Service, Pacific
Northwest Research Station, and was published in May 2005. This
is a great resource about the effects of housing density on forests
and by extension, timber, wildlife, and water resources.
Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on
America's Private Forests
Wildland-Urban
Interface Professional Development Program
Natural resource agencies are being called upon to provide solutions
to increasingly complex challenges at the wildland-urban interface
(WUI). Communities are growing rapidly, landowners’ management goals
often conflict, residents may not understand the benefits of resource
management, and the resulting risks to environmental quality and
human quality of life are becoming more apparent. To help meet these
needs, the Southern Group of State Foresters led a partnership with
the USDA Forest Service, Southern Center for Wildland-Urban Interface
Research and Information (SCWUIRI), the University of Florida, School
of Forest Resources and Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to develop this WUI professional development program. This
program provides state and federal natural resource agencies with
a set of flexible resources to conduct their own training programs,
aimed toward building skills and tools to successfully tackle WUI
issues. Many resources for teaching and learning can be found on
the website.
The Changing Roles: WUI Professional Development Program was developed
through a partnership between the Southern Center for Wildland-Urban
Interface Research and Information of the Forest Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, and the School of Forest Resources and Conservation
of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of
Florida. Other partners included the Southern Group of State Foresters
and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife.
Module
2: Managing Interface Forests - Provides tools and knowledge
for effectively managing fragmented forests in the WUI. Includes
practicing silviculture at the interface; small-scale harvesting
systems; managing for wildlife, fire, and visual and recreational
amenities; enterprise opportunities for landowners; and forest cooperatives.
Module
3: Land-Use Planning and Policy - Explains land-use decision-making
tools, the role of natural resource professionals in the decision-making
and land-use planning process, and how natural resource professionals
can get involved.
Module
4: Communicating with Interface Residents and Leaders - Discusses
key tips for effective communication with WUI residents and community
leaders, beginning with the need to understand the audience, strategies
for effectively sharing information and planning programs, and working
to resolve conflict and support changes in behavior.
• 
• 
