VIRGINIA
TECH'S
FOREST LANDOWNER EDUCATION
PROGRAM WINS NATIONAL
AWARD
BLACKSBURG, Dec. 10,
2003 -- The Virginia
Forest Landowner Education
Program (VFLEP) was
recently received
a national award recognizing
the outstanding non-industrial
private forest education
program in the country
for 2003. The award,
given jointly by the
National Association
of Professional Forestry
Schools and Colleges
(NAPFSC) and the National
Woodland Owners Association
(NWOA), was accepted
by Harold Burkhart,
head of Virginia Tech's
department of forestry,
at the National Society
of American Foresters
Convention in Buffalo,
New York.
The
award-winning Virginia
Cooperative Extension
education program
has provided more
than 70 short courses
around the state,
reaching more than
1,600 forest owners
who collectively own
approximately 320,000
acres of private forests.
The program has produced
a quarterly newsletter
mailed to 19,000 landowners
statewide, a collection
of websites that provide
up-to-date information
and referrals, and
a web-based educational
short course. Chief
architects of the
program include Jim
Johnson, associate
dean for outreach
in Virginia Tech's
College of Natural
Resources, and Dylan
Jenkins, former extension
associate at Virginia
Tech and now The Nature
Conservancy's director
of forest conservation
for Pennsylvania.
The college's forestry
department coordinates
the multi-agency educational
initiative. Lead cooperators
in VFLEP include the
Virginia Department
of Forestry, Virginia
Cooperative Extension,
the Virginia Department
of Game and Inland
Fisheries, the Virginia
Forestry Association,
and Virginia's forest
products industry.
Other private, state
and federal natural
resource organizations
also participate in
providing the educational
programs for Virginia's
private forest landowners.
They include The Nature
Conservancy, the Izaak
Walton League, the
U.S. Forest Service,
the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service,
Ducks Unlimited, the
USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service,
Soil and Water Conservation
Districts, Resource
Conservation and Development
Councils, and private
forest and wildlife
consultants.
Since 1996, these
groups have worked
together to offer
education programs
for Virginia's 400,000
private forest landowners
who control nearly
80 percent of the
commonwealth's forestlands.
Collectively, these
private forest landowners
significantly influence
the health and productivity
of Virginia's forests.
Recognizing this potential,
Virginia's natural
resource community
cooperatively develops
and markets courses,
videos, bulletins
and other educational
resources that promote
the wise use of Virginia's
forests while maintaining
the health and productivity
of all forest resources
for future generations.
The
College of Natural
Resources at Virginia
Tech consistently
ranks among the top
five programs of its
kind in the nation.
Faculty members stress
both the technical
and human elements
of natural resources
and instill in students
a sense of stewardship
and land-use ethics.
Areas of studies include
environmental resource
management, fisheries
and wildlife sciences,
forestry, geospatial
and environmental
analysis, natural
resource recreation,
urban forestry, wood
science and forest
products, geography,
and international
development.
