1. Small Woodland ManagementBy
Angela Gupta, U of MN Extension
Barb Spears, TWF Consulting, LLC
Art Widerstrom, MN DNR

2. Resources Resource List
Both booklets are available for downloading on-line:
Backyard Woods:
Beyond the Suburbs:

3. Overview What is Small Woodland Management Your Goals
Assessing & Inventory
Your Plan
Management Options
“Approximately 800,000 acres of non-industrial private forest (NIPF) land is in parcels of less than 20 acres – and the number of these smaller parcels is quickly growing.” (2001, Beyond the Suburbs)
Larry Lefever/Grant Heilman Photography

4. Goal Setting
This guys cute but I think the binoculars imply looking forward better… Can you get the other pic? Barb cute pic of boy and binoculars on pg 4
Get family involved, owners (parents?), kids, grandparents, anyone that will use, appreciate, and be involved with management.
At the end of almost every chapter in the Backyard Woods book there’s a Family Activity for kids and family!!!!
Discuss constraints (land/financial/family) anything that might impact your ability to manage the land.
Use part of the worksheet in BS pg 9 as homework? In class worksheet?
Dennis Haugen

5. Goal Setting General Guidelines to Consider: Encourage native species
Discourage invasive species
Minimize runoff
Avoid construction damage
Remember your neighbors
From Beyond the Suburbs, pg 9
Dennis Haugen

6. Goal Setting - Homework
Insert homework page for discussion…Barb you’re working on that right?

7. Connectivity Assessing & Inventory
Their property in the large landscape
Working as a group ie: neighbors, home own associations, neighborhood associations, wood coops, etc… to work together and create more opportunities
Photo: random MapQuest Arial photo of N. Rochester. Point – It’s easy to find on-line resources that show your property and can help you and your neighbors get a better idea of the RESOURCE as a whole, not just YOUR property. May open-up management options.
Connectivity – Beyond the Suburbs, pg 4, “the extent and means by which various resources connect.” Examples: migratory songbirds & red-shoulder hawk

8. Assessing & Inventory USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zones
Photo by Soil-Science.info
Landscape inventory:
Soil test
Vegetation, trees, flowers, plants
Plant hardiness zone

9. Assessing & Inventory
Must also get a good assessment of the vegetative cover. This to consider:
Forest types – tree cover
Water features/hydrology
Wildlife needs – Food, shelter, water, space
Special places, features that are important to you
Access – roads, management, recreation, etc

10. Assessing & Inventory Special Forest Products
Bill Beatty, Wild and Natural
Can you include the maple syrup picture from page 35? Something to diversify from mushrooms…

11. Your Plan Develop your own land management plan! Include: Your goals
Your inventory
Your management objectives
Make sure your plan is in writing!
Review it at least every 10 years
Include your family in your plan writing (goal setting, management activities, etc)
Consider how the land will be passed on from generation to generation if that is a concern for you

12. Your Plan
I’d like to put several images of these various plans. I realize they likely won’t look like much, just paper and words, but I’d like to stack them so folks realize there are some options. Do either of you have plan covers you can scan in?
Examples of plan writing resources that might be available to these landowners:
DNR Project Plan
DNR Comprehensive Plan
DNR Stewardship Plan (great than 20 acres)
SWCD Plan
NRCS EQUIP plan
BW Ten-Year Activity Plan
Covenant Farms

13. Develop a Plan
I don’t know the plans well enough – but should we recommend one of the plans mentioned on the previous slide and talk about it in more detail?
Or we could have a plan as an example and talk through it to review imporant sections…

14. Management Options
Improving wildlife habitat and viewing