We cover topics of interest to local landowners, such as:

Most Learn About Your Land classes are held in person, and some also have an online option via Zoom. Whether you are a new landowner, looking to become more engaged in your family’s woodland, or want to brush up on your knowledge, Learn About Your Land is a great opportunity to get your questions answered. You’ll also get to meet your county’s DNR forester, who can walk with you through your property and give you tailored advice on forest management.

We rotate through Wisconsin’s counties from year to year, so most counties have Learn About Your Land classes every 5-6 years. Classes typically happen in fall and winter in the evenings so that everyone can attend. For folks who live in a city but own land elsewhere in the state, we also hold some classes in larger urban areas.

Since 2008, more than 7,100 households across Wisconsin, representing a total of 168,000 acres, have attended Learn About Your Land. We invite you to join us at an upcoming class!

The workshops were extremely informative and enjoyable. I believe we will use much of the material and information that was shared.

—Learn About Your Land participant

Getting Things Done in Your Woods

For landowners who have already participated in Learn About Your Land classes, as well as those who are eager to get things done in their woods, we offer annual classes via Zoom focused on tangible actions you can take as a next step.

The most recent Getting Things Done in Your Woods classes were in January 2026. They covered winter wildlife monitoring techniques, identifying and managing invasive species, and how to keep your woods and trees healthy.

Thank you for providing such an excellent presentation yesterday! I use trail cameras extensively to monitor wildlife, and adding the tracking and cover plots will be an exciting addition. My primary interest is small carnivores, but I love the herps, too, and picked up some good ideas for identifying and finding.

—Getting Things Done class participant

New Landowner Outreach

Along with collaborators from Extension’s Agriculture Institute and UW-Madison’s Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, we are engaged in outreach specifically aimed at new landowners in Wisconsin.

We developed a website for getting started with land stewardship, which includes resources on water, wildlife, woods, farming, grasslands, gardens & pollinators, people, building & roads, and legal aspects of land stewardship. We also held several webinars where new landowners jump-started their stewardship journey by connecting with natural resource professionals from a wide range of organizations.

In July 2025, we held a field day on the Sauk County Farm where landowners connected with natural resource professionals and got to see stewardship in action in prairies, farmland, riparian areas, and woodlands.

Upcoming Events

We will hold more in-person Learn About Your Land classes in 2026, and we will hold the next set of Getting Things Done in Your Woods classes in early 2027.