Assessing the Educational Needs of Women who own Non-Industrial Private Forestland in Wisconsin

Abstract

Much is known about the ownership motivations of non-industrial private forestland (NIPF) owners as a group, but little is known about female NIPF owners. Because females comprise roughly half of the U.S. population, and because many women will become sole owners and key decision makers for their NIPF land, there is good reason for additional study of this significant group. With access to education and information resources, female NIPF owners are able to make more informed decisions about their land, to share knowledge with their families, friends and students, and perhaps ultimately to advocate for better decision-making about forestry and land use planning. A mail survey was conducted on a random sample of Wisconsin women NIPF owners to gather demographic information and examine ownership goals and educational needs and interests. Two pilot forestry workshops were conducted for women, through the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program, to test educational strategies and examine the need for forestry education opportunities for women. Study findings indicate that there is an interest in, and a need for, forestry education workshops for women, and that the pilot workshops were well received. Mail survey respondents aged 40-59 responded most positively to a women-specific forestry workshop format. Respondents who were not married were more likely than married women to prefer a women's workshop. The women landowners and the attendees of the pilot BOW forestry workshops tended to have more education than the general U.S. population and workshop attendees perhaps even more than mail survey respondents. Results suggest that female NIPF owners have been as likely to seek their forestry information from personal sources such as spouses, family or friends, as from professional sources such as DNR foresters or Extension agents. Women with more formal education were more likely to consult professional sources for forestry information. Women with college or advanced degrees were also more likely to have attended-and were most likely to be interested in attending-a forestry education workshop than women with less formal education. Fifty-six percent of mail survey respondents indicated they were "usually" or "always" involved in land management decision-making, while 21 % of respondents indicated they were not involved in decision-making. Of those not involved, 77% indicated they were not interested in becoming more involved. Respondents with post-high school education were more likely to be involved in land management decision-making than were those with high school education or less. Women of ages 59 and younger tended to be more involved than those 60 and older. These findings provide additional information for planners, natural resource agencies, foresters and forestry educators interested in better serving their many audiences. In addition, this new forestry track broadens the scope of topics offered in the BOW program, and serves a wider audience than ever before.