Forestry Best Management Practices

We are surrounded by plans, either those that we make for ourselves or those that have been created by others. While a New Year’s Resolution is a plan for action, if you are a land owner or manager, you don’t have to wait until January. Now is a good time to assess the property and make a plan.

In this issue: Help us learn more about our readers and subscribers by taking our short survey. Read about a potential ally in the fight against hemlock wooly adelgid, and how Marylanders can get a rebate for planting native trees. There's information about our spring session of "The Woods in Your Backyard" online course, plus our regular features: the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight" looks at the American beaver and "Invasives in Your Woodlands" looks at Princess tree. And don't forget the events calendar and the Brain Tickler challenge.

Read about our upcoming online courses for the fall and about this year's Maryland-Delaware Master Logger. There's also the News and Notes summary about stories you might have missed, as well as our regular features the Woodland Wildlife Spotlight, Invasives in Your Woodland, and the Brain Tickler challenge. 

The News and Notes roundup for this issue features a way to get caught up on this fall's Woodland Wildlife Wednesday webinars, a way to remove adult Spotted Lanternflies using an empty water bottle, how to have your business listed in our new Natural Area Management Services Providers Directory, and how to order seedlings for spring planting projects from the Maryland State Nursery.

Occasionally, the two roles I have with UME intersect, and I find I can use a mix of old and new skills to move projects forward, just as forest managers have learned it's good to have a mix of new and old growth to keep woodlands and wildlife healthy.

The consulting and industrial professional foresters listed in this publication are willing to work with small acreage woodland owners to encourage healthy and sustainable woodlands.

The Delmarva Woodland Stewards Program wrapped up this October, training 31 volunteers in the fundamental arts and science of ecological forest management. The program focuses specifically on the types of forests found on the coastal plain of the eastern shore and serves those geographically located on the Delmarva Peninsula who are residents of Delaware and Virginia.

In this issue: Is Artificial Intelligence ready to take over key roles of woodland stewardship? Our editor doesn't think so. Read about two new publications to help you with your woodland stewardship, and how you can join us for our online courses this fall.. One of our regular features, the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight," looks at the Cooper's hawk, and "Invasives in Your Woodlands" looks at winter creeper. And don't forget the events calendar and the Brain Tickler challenge.

The Woods in Your Backyard Workbook is available for free download as a PDF with fillable fields. It can be used in conjunction with The Woods in Your Backyard guide or on its own to help property owners assess their natural areas and to determine how to reach their land care objectives.

This directory is developed by the Woods in Your Backyard Partnership and the University of Maryland Extension's Woodland Stewardship Education program. This directory serves as a way to connect land owners and managers to green industry services providers. The directory has been organized by service and alphabetically. Click or tap on the icons below to access the listings.