There’s still time to register for “The Woods in Your Backyard” online course

Monday, September 8 to November 17, 2025

Looking to learn something new this fall that can improve your property’s natural areas? There’s still time to enroll in the fall 2025 session of “The Woods in Your Backyard” online course from the University of Maryland Extension’s Woodland Stewardship Education program. Our self-directed, non-credit course runs 10 weeks from September 8 to November 17, 2025, and allows you to work at your own pace from home without needing to attend evening or weekend workshops. The course provides strategies, such as converting lawn to natural areas and enhancing existing natural areas, to landowners of small parcels of land (1-10 acres) that improve the stewardship of their property for personal enjoyment and environmental quality. It features a hands-on learning approach to help participants develop and implement a plan for their property. Activities include learning how to map habitat areas, understanding basic ecological principles about woodland and wildlife, choosing and implementing a few habitat management projects, and setting a timetable and recording your progress. Online discussion groups will allow participants to interact with others taking the course. A certificate of completion is awarded when all assignments are completed.

The course costs $125.00 per person, which includes the 108-page “Woods in Your Backyard” guide, workbook, and a tree identification guide. The course is limited to 25 participants, so sign up now! Registration closes September 8 or when filled. Registration is through Eventbrite; go to https://go.umd.edu/WIYB-Fall25.

For more information, go to https://go.umd.edu/the_course, or contact course coordinator Andrew Kling, University of Maryland Extension, akling1@umd.edu, 301-226-7564.

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