Shane Stevens, Natural Resource Program coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties, is our featured guest in this episode.. Shane is also Regional Director of the Master Forest Owners Program of the Catskills and the Lower Hudson. The topic is the Master Forest Owner (MFO) program.

Begun in 1991, the program is a collaboration of Cornell Cooperative Extension with the US Department of Agriculture, the New York Forest Owners Association (NYFOA), and others. The purpose is to create and train a network of volunteers to help private forest owners to be better stewards of their own properties. Fourteen million acres of New York State woodlands, approximately 75% of the total state's wooded acreage, are in private hands, Cornell and others want to enable individual landowners to tend their lands responsibly. Education and access to expert and experienced resources are the best means to this goal.

The benefits of knowledgeable management of privately owned woodlands include more reliable clean air and water, maintainable harvests and use of timber resources, and accessible recreational resources. The MFO program is set up to train property owners who are interested in the long term maintenance of their forest resources. Members are valued for their experience, enthusiasm, and willingness to share their expertise. There are no required minimal experience levels, and the “forest ownership” need not be large acreage. A few acres and a passion for the forest is enough, combined with a willingness to share their expertise with the public.

Training has gone hybrid, and is mostly Zoom sessions, with a final in-person field day at the conclusion of training. For most counties in the Hudson Valley, this takes place at the Siuslaw Model Forest, in Acra (Greene County). Students get the chance to meet in person and bond while exploring, among other things, the teaching forest's deer exclosure test area and the shiitake mushroom growing yard. There are no required volunteer hours, but each trainee is encouraged to conduct forest visits as requested by landowners.

The requests for a 'woods walk' are usually submitted online, with a questionnaire providing details about the landowners' interests and goals for their woodlands. Initial forest visits are done with an experienced MFO, but the volunteer can proceed on his or her own once he/she feels confident. The actual visit can cover a range of topics including questions about the overall health of the trees in the forest, management of invasive species, creating habitat for birds and wildlife, deer management, agroforestry, silviculture, and/or options for forest regeneration. On average, a MFO volunteer does 1-3 visits a year. Additional information or referrals are usually sent to the landowner after the visit depending on the landowner's interests. Direct referrals to individuals are not done, but lists of approved practitioners in the appropriate fields can be provided. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has a cooperating foresters list, and mywoodlot.com and Forest Connect have rich websites. Forest Connect even has an excellent YouTube channel.

There is a wide array of resources available to learn how to steward a forest. A Woods Walk with a Master Forest Owner volunteer is a great place to start. Listen in to determine if this makes sense for you to explore further.

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas Guest: Shane Stevens, CCE

Photo by: Teresa Golden

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Tim Kennelty, Amy Meadow, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, Jean Thomas