Distance learning for forest owners on LFOA web page
About this good practice
COVID -19 pandemic time restrict movement and meeting of society and of course these restrictions affect also private forest owners in Latvia. Pandemic time change our habits for leisure time activities also and turn people to more active use of nature recreation or doing different activities on open ear. It was good time for small forest owners become more active in forest management. This leads to need for more knowledge about what? How? When? to do in forest holding. And Latvia’s forest owners’ association start webinars for forest owners and other interested person in ZOOM platform about forest related topics. During online live events it was possible ask questions to forestry professionals. All webinars were recorded and now all of them assessable on LFOA web page. Online courses start on early spring 2021 and continue on different thematic up today.
First webinar was about Forestry activities to improve forest stands wind resistance and follow with Forest taxation, Online communication with State Forest Service, How to use open data, How to use drones in forestry and lot of other thematic events.
Resources needed
Online webinar preparation is project based and cost around 20 000 annually. For access forest owners need computers and internet provision.
Evidence of success
Webinars become popular among forest owners and each of them online live attended by around 20 people and records also used often enough afterwards.
Potential for learning or transfer
Distance studies become usual practice for school children and students. LFOA practise show that this method could be successfully used also for forestry knowledge transfer. New technologies come in our lives and give good opportunities. This way of knowledge transfer method allow access to webinar source unlimited number of participants in appropriate time.
