Title

From the Woods Today Weekly Webcast Program

Relevance

Woodlands are extremely important to the economic and ecological wellbeing of Kentuckians. The state is 47% forested with over 12 million acres of woodlands and, collectively, the forest sector contributes over $13.5 billion annually to the states economy and impacts over 60,398 jobs. The vast majority of woodlands in the state are family owned. Supporting these woodland owners is key and Extension specialists and county agents across the state field a range of questions from the public and equip landowners to successfully manage their land.

Response

Traditionally, Extension woodland owner engagement has happened largely through in-person programming and connections. However, in light of both COVID-19 and changing landowner demographics and preferences, we developed a new weekly webcast program, From the Woods Today (FTWT), to fill this gap and provide key information related to forestry and natural resources. While the show was created to meet pressing needs, because of its success it has continued to grow and develop even as in-person Extension offerings have returned.FTWT serves as a vital communication link and educational outlet. The show covers a broad range of topics from forest health to improving woodlands to wildlife and much more. More than 500 videos have been posted on the UK Forestry Natural Resources (FNR) Extension YouTube page. Each member of the FNR Extension team has produced content for FTWT episodes, from giving regular presentations on key topic areas to recording and editing content. The program also spotlights Kentuckys forestry and natural resources partners such as the Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Forest Industries Association, Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, and others. The live FTWT program, airing Wednesdays at 11 ET on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube, allows viewers to interact directly with hosts and presenters.

Results

Since beginning, over 9,273 viewers have watched a live episode over Zoom or YouTube and the program provides weekly continuing education credits for county Extension agents. Even more viewers access the educational content through recordings posted to the departments website (https://forestry.ca.uky.edu/woods-today) and YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/UKForestryandNaturalResourcesExtension) which now has over 7,600 subscribers. Since beginning in 2020, FTWT has had over 973,600 views on YouTube and resulted in the creation of hundreds of hours of forestry-related content online. In addition, the audio from each episode is available as a podcast through the Libsyn platform. The program has been downloaded over 58,000 times and has been heard in every continent around the globe.FTWT has been nationally recognized by the forestry community, winning the 2021 National Family Forests Education Project Award. This award focused on educational programming responses to the COVID pandemic by university forestry Extension programs across the United States and was sponsored by the National Woodland Owners Association and the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs.

Public Value Statement

Extension supports innovative and responsive programming that makes research-based information accessible to key audiences across a wide range of platforms, meeting them where they are to enhance management of economic wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

Primary Focus Area

Environmental Stewardship

Secondary Focus Area

Agricultural Systems

Impact Statement