Women Owning Woodlands: Understanding Women'S Roles In Forest Ownership And Management

The number of women who own and make decisions about forestland is growing, but ownership has traditionally been viewed as a male domain, with systems (intergenerational transfer, information dispersal, support organizations, and lifestyle responsibilities) mostly designed to support men. This article describes a qualitative study of members of the Women Owning Woodlands network (WOWnet), a forestry extension program in Western Oregon, to learn about women's roles in forest ownership and management. Regardless of their management objectives, WOWnet women consistently emphasized good stewardship for their land now, and effective transfer of their land in the future. Involvement in organizations such as WOWnet and the Oregon Small Woodlands Associations is an important part of their overall awareness of management, standards, and regulations, by supplying information that women in forest management need to know. Results suggest changes that extension and other similar natural resource organizations can make to support these women.