Inspiration

Success looks like...
She had lost her husband two years before. He was always the one to do the forest management stuff while she managed horses! Now she was left without a clue of how she should manage the forest. Her plan was to just - let it be. Accompanying her friend who invited her on an informal Oregon WOWNet hike changed everything and left her in tears of relief. After talking with women on the hike who are managing forests on their own, she said she felt like she could do it too. She instantly felt she had a support network and a huge barrier was lifted. It’s amazing what a walk in the woods, with peers, can do!

My mom called our forestland in northern Idaho a “spot of paradise.” Mom was the first to point out a grand fir that might fall, to see a moose on the pasture, and to notice Western larch needles changing color. She passed away eight years ago, and we try to honor her by caring for our forestland. Since my brother and I live far away, all of the work falls on Dad.

The Women and Their Woods Educational Retreat is an in-depth, fun, engaging, and thought-provoking workshop on caring for your woodlands now and into the future. No matter the size of your woodlands or if you’re not yet an owner, join us for four days and three nights of learning, networking, and applying new knowledge about good forest stewardship. Learn more about Women and Their Woods.

This session is being offered as part of the 7th annual Loving the Land through Working Forests conference on Saturday, May 19 near Girard Township, Pennsylvania.

For more information and to register for the event, please visit: https://www.foundationforsustainableforests.org/loving-the-land.

The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature’s Great Connectors (Viking) by David George Haskell

The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature (Penguin) by David George Haskell

Women and our Woods is teaming up with Women of the Maine Outdoors to offer an action-packed workshop for women woodland owners and outdoor enthusiasts! Join us Saturday, April 29 at Pine Tree Camp in Rome, Maine for engaging, hands-on classes in a variety of forest-based topics.

My husband I own a 1000+ acre forest. As a Mainer whose great grandparents relocated from Ireland to Maine for the forest industry, I have wandered in Maine forests my entire life.

Oregon WOW member Marti Willis bravely shares her heartbreaking story of losing her land so that we all can avoid the same pitfalls.

Did you know forests make great water? Or that some forest soils can absorb over 15” of rain/hour compared to a lawn which can absorb only an inch or less of water/hour while pavement doesn’t absorb any rain at all?

As a women woodland owner or manager I suspect you like trees, feel connected to the woods and likely appreciate the peace and quiet that can be found in that special corner of your woodlot. Intuitively you may recognize some of the health benefits of trees but you will likely be surprised to learn just how much trees are good for us.

Article by guest author Pam Wells
How tailgate tree parties with professional teams helped create a detailed forest management plan, 180 acres of pre-commercial thinning, roadwork repair, and the hope of stream habitat improvement for salmon and trout.

Debbie Clay shares her experience of managing her newly acquired woodlands.

Thirty miles down Highway 40, in southern Virginia, the land rolls gently with endless rows of emerald green crops. Billboards proclaim:
“Peanuts – whole sale and retail! Tourists welcome!”
“We’re not nuts, but we sell ‘em”