Who Wants To Be A Woodland Steward? Understanding Barriers to Forestland Stewardship in Minnesota

Abstract

A third of the nation’s forestland is owned and stewarded by family forest owners (Butler et al. 2021). These private landowners (woodland stewards) value them primarily due to the beauty, natural values, and wildlife habitat they provide. In Minnesota, 102,000 woodland stewards own and manage over five million acres of forestland in the state (USDA Forest Service, 2021). While private forestland in Minnesota is diverse in terms of the composition and characteristics of the forest, the demographics of woodland stewards are not. The objectives of this project were to (1) interview Minnesota residents that have been historically excluded from owning forestland within the State to understand their motivations and barriers to stewarding, purchasing, owning, and managing land and (2) build Extension’s repertoire of woodland steward resources that are more culturally-relevant.