University of Minnesota and Purdue University Co-Winners of Nation's Top Family Forest Education Award 🏆
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – October 22 – The University of Minnesota Extension Forestry Program and Purdue University’s FNR Extension Family Forest Education Program have been named co-winners of the prestigious NAUFRP-NWOA Family Forests Comprehensive Education Program Award, the nation’s top honor for forestry Extension programming.
The award, co-sponsored by the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP) and the National Woodland Owners Association (NWOA) for over 25 years, recognizes superior performance across nine rigorous criteria, celebrating the historic co-win as a dual standard of excellence for the profession.
- Faculty involved (including number and multi-disciplinary involvement)
- Educational needs assessment (including involvement of clients)
- Educational materials, events, and other resources used
- Applied research incorporated
- Collaborations among disciplines, agencies, and organizations
- Results, impacts, or outcomes
- Evidence of program quality
- Degree of innovation
- Emulation of the program by others
Extension Chair Bill Hubbard, who oversaw the competition which included three additional nationally respected judges provided comment: "After a thorough review by our three judges and myself, the Committee determined that both the University of Minnesota and Purdue University programs demonstrated such profound and differentiated excellence across the nine core criteria that it was decided to recognize them both."
The Winning Nominations: Innovation and Impact
The two co-winners were recognized for their uniquely powerful models of engagement, grounded in cutting-edge research:
🌲 University of Minnesota Extension Forestry Program: Climate Adaptation Leader – Eli Sagor, Anna Stockstad and Lane Moser.
The Minnesota program was lauded for its forward-thinking, science-based approach to long-term forest health, specifically through its comprehensive educational initiatives:
- Climate-Ready Woodlands (CRW) Initiative: This flagship component translates complex climate modeling into practical advice, providing over 30 region-specific native plant and tree lists for 11 distinct ecological regions. These lists help landowners select resilient species predicted to thrive 50-100 years into the future.
- Actionable Impact: The program has successfully documented a 95% adoption rate among course participants for its recommendations and influenced a change in state statute related to invasive species management.
- Minnesota Woodland Steward Program: This high-engagement, hybrid training utilizes self-paced online modules alongside in-person field tours to ensure deep, lasting knowledge transfer to participants.
🌳 Purdue University FNR Extension: Research-Driven Scale – Zhao Ma and Mike Saunders.
Purdue's program was honored for its massive scale, its deep connection to a long-term research asset, and its commitment to building future workforce capacity:
- HEE Integration: The program directly integrates findings from the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE)—a 100-year research study—into its curriculum, providing landowners with unbiased, real-time data on management issues like oak/hickory regeneration and wildlife response to timber harvest
- Economic & Ecological Scale: The program supports the multibillion dollar hardwood industry by having an impact on over 57,000 acres and engaging a network of tens of thousands of landowners through its extensive publications.
- Curricular Innovation: Purdue was recognized for its pioneering move to formally incorporate Extension training into its undergraduate and graduate curricula, ensuring the next generation of forestry professionals is equipped with crucial outreach skills.