New Woodland Health Practices Handbook Available

A new book is now available from the Woods in Your Backyard Partnership, between the University of Maryland Extension, Penn State Extension, and Virginia Cooperative Extension. The book is entitled Woodland Health Practices Handbook: A Practitioner's Guide for Creating, Enhancing, and Maintaining Natural Areas. It is specifically written for landscape companies, arborists, and other green industry professionals in the eastern U.S. looking to grow their businesses by providing natural area management services to small-acreage clients.

The guide promotes land stewardship for the owner's enjoyment and for improved environmental quality. The handbook describes how to implement small-scale natural area management services including wildlife habitat enhancements, forestry practices, establishing natural havens, constructing trails, invasive plant and insect identification and control, creating meadows, reforestation, and more.

The handbook includes over 60 color photos, an overview of land management techniques, a glossary, and an index. This resource manual and the accompanying specialized Woodland Health Assessment Checklist tool will help green industry professionals determine which enhancement practices are suitable for a given property based on landowner objectives. The checklist and accompanying tables will assist in selecting appropriate management actions for a given property. Examples of how to write and develop land care plans based on your clients' values are also included.

Funding for this project was provided by the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, Inc. The purchase price is $27 which includes shipping via USPS. To purchase books visit our website. If you are interested in bulk orders contact Taylor Robinson directly at taylormr@umd.edu.