CORVALLIS, Ore. — As she attended woodland conferences in Oregon, Nicole Strong noticed whose voices often weren’t being heard.
Women.
Strong, then an Oregon State University Extension forester, noticed that the women, who often owned their woodland property with their husbands, were relegated to the back of the room. Or they weren’t even invited.
“It used to be that the wives of woodland managers were encouraged to go shopping or go wine tasting — anything but the forestry stuff,” said Strong, now an OSU Extension regional director.
In 2005, Strong and a group of women gathered behind the back of her pickup truck. They decided they needed a network of their own.
The Oregon chapter of the Woman Owning Woodlands Network was born. Oregon and Maine were the first two states to form chapters, Strong said.
Almost 20 years later, the Oregon network, also known as WOWNet, is still going with over 150 newsletter subscribers. The network plans to expand in the next year through workshops and events around the state.
“There is a growing number of women who acquired property because they were widowed or who were interested in owning woodlands who feel very intimated in male-dominated spaces,” said Erin Giebner, statewide program coordinator for the Women Owning Woodlands Network.
The Women Owning Woodlands Network is a national effort to address barriers women woodland owners face when stewarding their land by equipping them with the information needed to take an active role in stewardship.
“There was a growing need for a space where women could ask questions and feel comfortable,” said Giebner. “Through this network, we want women to feel confident and empowered in managing their woodlands.”
That confidence is applicable to other spaces in the woodland industry.
"Because of the network, we see women taking on more leadership roles in their small woodland associations and other organizations,” said Strong.
The Women Owning Woodlands Network draws women of all levels of involvement in woodlands, from managers to owners and even aspiring owners.
“One of our goals was to recognize women as managers in their different roles. You don’t have to be out in the forest with a chainsaw to be a manager,” said Strong.
Extension hosts several Women Owning Woodlands Network workshops on chainsaw techniques and management practices, which are almost always facilitated by women. Other workshops include nature walks on member properties around the state.
Other popular community activities are Oregon is virtual book clubs featuring books on natural resources and history of timber in the Pacific Northwest, and wreathmaking in November and December.
“Building skills and the knowledge base is really important, but we also want to build that community so other women can reach out to each other for advice,” said Giebner.
“The network has given me the chance to connect with women all over the state,” said Wylda Cafferata, a member of the Women Owning Woodlands Network in Lane County. “It empowers women to get together and realize they are capable of managing woodlands.”
Community and networking are essential themes to Oregon’s network, with women learning and growing together, Strong said.
"Some people are taking over property because of aging parents, others because of a spouse passing. There is a lot interpersonal healing that happens together through managing woodlands together,” she said.
