Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) is a program developed from a national effort to bring natural resources education to women forest owners. The WOW mission is to empower women landowners to feel confident in actively managing their woodlands through providing relevant forestry information and resources. WOW works to build a welcoming community for women to share experiences, receive support, and learn together.
Why women-focused programming? Women landowners make decisions for about 44 million acres (roughly the size of Missouri) in North America, which makes up 16% of family forest land. Additionally, women’s longer life expectancies mean that they are more likely to make the final land use decisions for their forest, and thus they influence the decision that has most long-term impact on the woods.
Women have a large impact on forested land, but it’s necessary to address that women are faced with different barriers to forest management than their male counterparts. There is a historical gender bias in natural resources activities due to cultural and societal norms. Traditionally, most knowledge about land management was transferred between generations among men in the family. As a result, women are less likely to have engaged in land management activities, despite the interest in forests that they may have. Natural resources can be an intimidating field for women to engage in due to lack of knowledge and trust. WOW aims to uplift women woodland owners with knowledge and support by acting as a resource during their forest management journey.
When it comes to forest management, women have different values that they use to guide their management decisions. Men are more often profit-driven and tend to value their woods as a financial asset. In contrast, women tend to place greater value on ecological aspects of their forests, like forest health, ecosystem benefits, and natural beauty. Women also are more likely to value their woods as a retreat for family bonding and recreation. Consequently, women will form objectives for their woodlands that reflect their values and create management plans to achieve those goals. WOW addresses natural resources topics relevant to women landowners to help them make informed management decisions to realize their forest management goals.
Join the Women Owning Woodlands National Network.
Join the Missouri Women Owning Woodlands Team!
Missouri WOW currently meets on the third Thursday of each month from 12 pm – 1 pm on Zoom. In-person workshops are held several times throughout the year. Can’t make the virtual meetings? No worries- we send out recordings to the group after each session and our natural resources field specialists are always available for any discussions or questions.
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