Virginia Forest Landowner Update

In Virginia, over 80% of the forestland is under private ownership; 64% (10.1 million acres) of this belongs to family forest owners. Providing these 350,000+ landowners abreast of forest and wildlife management practices, cost share programs, exotic invasives and upcoming educational opportunities is a big task. One way the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program (VFLEP) accomplishes this is through a quarterly newsletter publication, the Virginia Forest Landowner Update. This publication began, in 1997, as the Virginia Forest Landowner’s Events Calendar, published biannually. In 1998, it assumed its current name, with a quarterly publication schedule and articles on a wide variety of natural resource topics.

Currently, this 6 page newsletter consists of the following regular (or semi-regular) features:

• You Ain’t From Around Here! Exotic Invasive of the Quarter. This light-hearted column has appeared in 15 of the last 22 editions, and has featured 14 different species. You Ain’t From Around here covers species introduction, lore, identification, and control (including mechanical, chemical and biological means). This feature is frequently praised by newsletter recipients.
• Events Calendar. This staple of the newsletter features a listing of natural resource educational events throughout the commonwealth and is responsible for the majority of attendance at these events.
• Managing Between the Trees focuses on non-timber forest products, such as beekeeping, ginseng, and medicinal herbs. This new column provides technical information, as well as markets.
• Useful Resources features new publications, websites, cost share programs and other resources landowners may find useful.

In addition to these regular features, additional articles are provided by partners in Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, Virginia Tech Faculty, graduate students, and many others. Articles may be of a technical nature or may be case studies of other forest landowners.

Currently, the newsletter is distributed electronically, via the Forestupdate Listserv, to 3000 people; an additional 3300 people receive a paper copy. And, newsletters are widely distributed at educational events.

Comments on the newsletter include: “I have enjoyed reading the newsletter and I often find information that I can use in my job” and “This has proved to be a valuable education resource with entertainment and social benefits”. Additionally, the events calendar is consistently listed as the most common way forestry Extension program participants learn about the programs.

Files

Virginia Forest Landowner Update Vol. 24 No. 1

Winter 2010 edition of the Virginia Forest Landowner Update

Virginia Forest Landowner Update Vol. 24 No. 2

Spring 2010 edition of the Virginia Forest Landowner Update

Virginia Forest Landowner Update Vol. 24 No. 3

Summer 2010 edition of the Virginia Forest Landowner Update

Virginia Forest Landowner Update Vol. 24 No. 4

Fall 2010 edition of the Virginia Forest Landowner Update