BUILDING A HARDWOOD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR MISSISSIPPI LANDOWNERS
Natural Resources/Aquaculture
Brady Self
Extension Professor
Mississippi State University
Grenada
Abstract
Forest management efforts in Mississippi have centered on pine silviculture since the 1950s. As pine market conditions worsened over the last 15 years, interest in active management of hardwood forests has increased drastically. Mississippi State University has led a robust and internationally recognized hardwood research program for over 60 years. However, in the past, dissemination of research information was relatively limited and primarily focused on training events for professional foresters. Starting in 2012, a statewide hardwood management outreach program was implemented at Mississippi State with the intention of offering research findings and the most current silvicultural methodology in landowner programming. PowerPoint presentations and over 20 publications have been created to form curricula to support this program's system of short courses, workshops, filed tours, inservice events, and short landowner presentations. Between 2012 and 2024, 375 presentations have been given at 243 unique events, reaching over 7,400 attendees either owning or managing almost 9 million acres cumulatively across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. Program participants were surveyed both upon event completion and one-year post-completion to assess immediate perception of information gain and value as well as adoption over time. Program evaluations indicated that participant knowledge of subject matter increased between 15 and 52 percent and adoption of presented management strategies were reported by 21.7 percent of attendees on 2,451,961 acres. These activities included silvicultural practices such as invasive species management, tree planting, natural regeneration cuts, herbicide use, and implementation of sound thinning methodology. Discussion of program development and participant adoption metrics, as well as our experiences and takeaway lessons, will be shared.
Authors: Brady Self, Butch Bailey, Ashley Schulz
-
Brady Self Extension Professor, Mississippi State University Extension, Mississippi, 38901
-
Butch Bailey Extension Instructor, Mississippi State University Extension, Mississippi, 39475
-
Ashley Schulz Assistant Professor, Mississippi State University, Mississippi, 39762