Backyard Woods Course

The Vermont Backyard Woods Course is designed for homeowners with less than 25 acres who want to learn more about the woods in their backyard: what’s in it, who (wildlife) uses it, and how they can become better caretakers of it.

The course explores the following themes: An Introduction to Your Backyard and Beyond; Getting to Know Your Woods; Backyard Woods Projects; Developing a Backyard Woods Action Plan.

What is the course about?

This is an introductory course, designed to give landowners basic skills and connect them to resources available.
The self-paced course is hosted online and is composed of 4 sections. Each section has videos and activities that are to be completed on your own schedule.
Participants will be invited to join drop-in webinar sessions with experts.
There will be one optional in-person walk.

Who should join this course?

Homeowners who own 5-25 acres.
Homeowners who want to become more active stewards of their land, but don't know where to start.
Homeowners who want to learn general ecology in Vermont.

By the end of the program, participants will:

Understand why their backyard woods matter, the benefits it provides, and how it contributes to Vermont’s forest landscape.
Identify natural history and cultural features in their backyard woods.
Identify and rank stewardship goals and objectives for their property.
Develop a stewardship action plan with a project schedule and plan for implementing stewardship activities.
Increase awareness and connection to resources and organizations available to assist landowners in post-course activities.