Program Background

The University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries has been selected by the USDA CSREES to lead the development and implementation of the Forestandrange.org, the National Learning Center for Private Forest and Range Landowners. The mission of the National Center is to provide the national Extension Internet gateway for natural resource management and education knowledge and tools.The Center will provide a central destination for Internet users interested in forest and range land management and related issues. Regionally based information will be available for landowners and other interested persons around the nation to access through interactive online tutorials, articles, and references.

The National Learning Center for Private Forest and Range Landowners is a “virtual natural resource education center” providing interactive online instruction for the target audience of all private forest and range landowners. With the growth of technology and the increasing use of the Internet for educational purposes, this gateway provides a perfect opportunity to interact with and educate forest and range landowners nationwide. A National Learning Center allows information to be centrally coordinated, facilitated, and learning managed for consistency of content and design. This consistency allows landowners in all regions of the United States to get the same information from one source.

A National Advisory Board has been assembled to provide oversight to the Center’s plans and activities. This board is responsible for all content and will oversee the grant process. Click here for the membership of the Advisory Board. Plans for the Center include developing web-based learning, including both synchronous and asynchronous online instruction for certificate courses, inservice training, and other programs. The educational programs delivered via the Center will lead to an increased knowledge in and better management of nonfederal forest, wildlife, and range resources.

The National Learning Center for Private Forest and Range Landowners will also utilize interactive technology and resources to increase the teaching capacity of educators such as Extension educators. This portion of the Center will include prepared presentations, continuing education courses, and certificate programs that these professionals could use to learn and share information to meetings of landowner groups or other organizations.