Education and Outreach
Educational opportunities enable forest landowners, forest industry professionals,
state residents, and visitors to understand and respect Vermont's forests
and their uses. Education in both school and public settings promotes
awareness and appreciation of Vermont's rural nature, working landscape,
forest industry, biological diversity, and the historical and cultural
values of the forest.
Natural Resources Education (Grades K-12)
Vermont's 285 public schools have approximately 105,000 students in grades
K-12. Out of a population of about 7,000 teachers, more than 4,000 teach
science, math, or technology. There are also 21 vocational technical centers
in Vermont, 10 of which listed forestry or natural resources as offered
programs in 1996. Although more than 200 students were enrolled in forestry
or natural resources programs at vo-tech centers in 1996, there is no
accurate method of determining how many high school students are exposed
to forestry or natural resources studies through science or integrated
programs1.
The new Vermont standards developed by the Vermont Department of Education
address natural resources, environmental cycles, and systems at all grade
levels. It is estimated by the Vermont Institute for Science, Math, and
Technology that 67 percent of Vermont schools are now using standards-based
science curricula and that all schools will have adopted them by 2002.
The department actively works with local school districts and the Department
of Education to provide information on a stewardship ethic and the benefits
of forest management. Specific outreach programs offered include the Fall
Naturalist Program, Project Learning Tree, and Project Wild, sponsored
by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (Figure 23).
Post-Secondary Education
A number of Vermont's public and private colleges offer courses to undergraduates
in subjects ranging from forestry and natural resources to outdoor recreation
and forest ecology. The only Society of American Foresters-accredited
forestry school in Vermont is at the University of Vermont, which offers
bachelor, master's, and doctorate degrees in various aspects of natural
resources. Vermont's state colleges‹Castleton, Lyndon, and Johnson‹all
offer programs granting degrees in natural science and/or environmental
science (Figure 24).
Several private colleges also offer undergraduate courses in ecology
and environmental issues. One in particular, Sterling College in Craftsbury,
now offers associate and bachelor's degrees in resource management and
outdoor leadership. Many of the graduates of these institutions will find
employment in Vermont and will be in a position to assist the state in
natural resources educational outreach efforts. Because of this, it will
be crucial to ensure that the graduates of these programs understand the
importance of the forest products industry to the economic well-being
of the state, as well as the concept of working forests and the importance
and role of private forest land ownership in Vermont.
Stewardship for Landowners and the Public
The department administers the Forest Stewardship Program, which provides
education, technical assistance, and cost-share assistance to private
nonindustrial forest landowners in Vermont. Participation in the program
by any nonindustrial private landowner is voluntary. The county foresters
in Vermont are responsible for all aspects of program administration,
including providing information and education to landowners and the public
about the program and assisting landowners interested in participating
by helping them understand and evaluate the timber, wildlife, ecological,
historical, and aesthetic values of their woodlands. The county foresters
also advise landowners on the availability of private consulting services
to help them carry out their management objectives.
Educational efforts that have been successful in promoting stewardship
to private forest landowners have included the following: direct mailings
to landowners offering forest evaluations and consultations, organization
of and participation in workshops for landowners and landowner associations,
educating the forest products industry and private consulting foresters
on the benefits of the Forest Stewardship Program, and providing all participants
with a Stewardship Newsletter to sustain a higher level of interest in
the program (Figure 25).
Direct mailings, though initially successful at reaching owners of 100
acres or more of land, have become less successful due primarily to the
subsequent explosion in direct mailings. Because the county foresters
have had such a high rate of success reaching landowners in the past,
the department will continue to promote the concept of stewardship by
using similar methods; however, the state's consulting foresters can help
to increase participation in the Forest Stewardship Program by providing
an opportunity to enroll landowners in the Use Value Appraisal Program
or in cost-share programs available through consulting forester involvement.
The department's educational efforts directed at the general public have
included a variety of things, including working with conservation organizations
that educate youth and adults, teaching at summer conservation camps,
sponsoring exhibits at local events and fairs, and use of local and regional
media. County foresters have traditionally been directly involved with
these educational efforts along with industrial and consulting foresters
and wildlife biologists. Many of these efforts have been successful and
will continue to be promoted by the department.
Although education of the general public is ongoing, the department's
efforts are often sporadic, and results are very difficult to measure.
With a public more aware of the forest resource and its role in their
lives, it will be even more important to provide information and education
about the value of a healthy forest ecosystem, the importance of the forest
products industry, the benefits of forest management, the concept of forest
stewardship, and the role private forest land plays in maintaining Vermont's
landscape. The Urban and Community Forestry Program provides technical
assistance and information to homeowners. One of the goals of the program
is to promote an appreciation of the important role trees and forests
play in the environment. This is important as more Vermonters live away
from the resource base and do not have a knowledge or background in land
stewardship. A comprehensive education and outreach plan for the general
public that is based upon these goals and the Forestry Division's capacity
to carry them out should be developed by the division in collaboration
with its partners.
Education for Loggers
The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has been involved with
educational programs for loggers for more than 40 years. Many of the earliest
workshops that were co-sponsored by the department and the UVM Extension
System focused on safe logging practices and increasing log yield through
careful bucking practices.
In the 1970s when the first best management practices for maintaining
water quality on logging operations were developed, the department sponsored
several training sessions for loggers, landowners, and foresters. About
10 years later, the UVM Extension System developed the Logger Education
to Advance Professionalism (LEAP) program and invited the department to
participate as a member of the project steering committee. After the success
of the initial workshops, the department assisted the UVM Extension System
and the Vermont Forest Products Association in the development of a continuing
education course for loggers under the LEAP program that identified additional
areas for logger training and set up standards for crediting all training
given in Vermont.
When the Vermont Forest Products Association created the Vermont Forestry
Foundation (VFF) for the purpose of providing training to loggers under
the Professional Logger Program (PLP), the department was invited to participate
and has provided both personnel and financial assistance to encourage
logger participation.
Since the advent of both the LEAP program and the PLP, new regulations
have been passed by the State of Vermont, and the Sustainable Forestry
Initiative has gained support in the forest products industry. There is
also a need to ensure that future logger education programs can and will
continue to meet the needs of the loggers in areas like safety and improved
felling and bucking practices. As a result of new laws and changing public
attitudes about forest management, logger education has been and will
continue to be a major focus for the department (Figure
26).
Education for Foresters
Each year, there are a number of continuing educational opportunities
available to foresters in Vermont. Many of these opportunities come in
the form of short courses, workshops, and training sessions, and most
offer credits for certification through the Society of American Foresters
continuing education program.
The University of Vermont Extension System offers a variety of courses
ranging from timber taxation to computer programming for foresters on
a fairly regular basis. The department has also provided numerous technical
training sessions on tree health on an annual basis and on silvicultural
practices whenever new concepts arise. County foresters, utilization specialists,
and protection specialists also keep consulting foresters, landowners,
and others appraised of new developments and research results on a regular
basis.
The Consulting Foresters Association of Vermont has sponsored workshops
and training sessions for its members and others, and the Vermont Green
Mountain Division of the Society of American Foresters sponsors field
training sessions on new regulations and other timely issues that impact
Vermont's forests.
Even with the current continuing education programs available for foresters,
emerging concepts in ecosystem management, green certification, and forest
sustainability, coupled with more complex biological data being available
about forest ecosystems, will eventually provide foresters with much better
information to make more informed land management decisions.
The department will continue to work with the UVM Extension System, the
USDA Forest Service, and other organizations to provide education and
training in these areas. The department will also work with the other
departments within the Agency of Natural Resources to make natural resource
data and maps available to foresters on a statewide basis.
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