With dismal economic news coming from all sides these days, it’s a good idea to take a moment or two to count our blessings. If you live on forested acreage, then you are probably aware of the many blessings that land ownership brings – the chance to observe and enjoy birds, deer, small mammals and other wildlife; the opportunity to walk right out your door and into a beautiful forest; the ability to cut one’s own firewood; or the chance to share your land with and the lessons of land stewardship with younger family members.

Taking care of a small woodland is rewarding, but it can be hard work, too. There are weeds to control, storm debris to clear, trees to plant and many other tasks large and small. Washington State University King County Extension conducts a unique educational program for woodland owners to help them develop a written forest stewardship plan while providing a thorough grounding in basic forest management principles. The eight-week Forest Stewardship Coached Planning class is packed with information from a variety of experts on topics ranging from improving wildlife habitat to controlling invasive weeds.

Dani Killingsworth lives on 14 acres of mostly wooded land near Covington, and participated in the class last year. “We had lived on our property about 3 years and it was becoming obvious that we needed to learn about proper management of the land to enjoy it fully,” says Dani. “When I got a flyer in the mail about the class, I had hope that this would give us some help. I can only say - it far exceeded my expectations. Now we have knowledge and resources to help us make informed decisions as we manage our land for our own enjoyment and for the future.”

At $100 per family, the Forest Stewardship Coached Planning class is an incredible value (scholarships are available for those needing assistance). Even better, landowners can use the forest stewardship plan they write in the class to qualify for property tax savings and cost-share programs to implement forest improvement projects. In these economic times, we can all use news like this.

To learn more about the Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Class, contact Ginny Ballard at WSU Extension, 206-205-3171 or visit http://king.wsu.edu/forestry.