By Brad Withrow-Robinson, OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension, Benton, Linn & Polk Counties

Please help welcome a new class of Master Woodland Managers. The Master Woodland Manager Class of 2014, which  has 17 members from communities throughout Benton, Linn and Polk Counties, graduated in November, joining several dozen volunteers from earlier trainings, ready to put their forestland management expertise to work as volunteers in their communities along with the OSU Extension Service.

Master Woodland Managers are qualified local family woodland owners who receive specialized training from OSU Forestry & Natural Resources Extension to improve their abilities as land managers and as community leaders. The purpose of the Master Woodland Manager program is to provide a core of trained volunteers that help OSU Forestry and Natural Resources Extension serve local communities and be a resource to help inform other woodland owners on ways to take care of their land.

The Master Woodland Manager training is about 80 hours of classroom and field instruction spread over most of a year. A broad variety of topics are covered, including forest management planning, woodland ecology, resource inventory methods, thinning stands, road maintenance, insect and disease management, fire risk prevention, sustainable forestry practices and more. In return, the trainees agree to give the OSU Extension a similar amount of time in volunteer service in helping other small woodland owners.

Master Woodland Manager volunteer activities may include hosting tours and workshops on woodland management practices (including planting, harvesting or habitat development), taking leadership positions in local landowner and conservation organizations, contributing to newsletters, and developing educational materials and youth programming.

Among the most popular and important services of Master Woodland Manager volunteers are site visits to local properties. A visit with a Master Woodland Manager can help you see your property in a new way. Their experience can help you recognize what you have on your property, identify opportunities you have overlooked, or limits you may not have seen, develop goals and strategies to address needs and point you to additional local sources of assistance.

Want another perspective on your property? Schedule a visit with a Benton, Linn, or Polk County Master Woodland Manager by calling the Benton County OSU Extension office at (541) 766-6750, or email me with at brad.w-r@oregonstate.edu.

The mid Valley Master Woodland Managers of 2014:

Marc Baldwin – Corvallis

William Bowling – Albany

Wylda Cafferata – Dexter

Mary  Chamness – West Salem

Bonnie Marshall -Sublimity

Ed Merzenich – Brownsville

Jim Merzenich- Salem

Bruce  Morris- Alsea

Elizabeth Mottner – Monroe

Tyler Mottner – Monroe

Doug Newell – Corvallis

Sherri  Newell – Corvallis

Janice Thompson – Corvallis

Christy Tye – Lebanon

Jennifer Weikel – Monmouth

Timbre White – Scio

Roger  Workman – Albany