Minnesota Woodland Steward Iron Range cohort set for St. Louis, Lake counties

University of Minnesota Extension is launching a Minnesota Woodland Steward Iron Range cohort aimed at woodland stewards in St. Louis and Lake counties, beginning Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. The 14-week hybrid course combines self-paced online instruction, scheduled virtual sessions, and in-person field learning aimed at equipping family forest owners and caretakers with practical skills to reduce wildfire risk, respond to insect outbreaks, and improve overall forest health.

The Extension’s official course page lists the session dates as Feb. 23–May 29, 2026, though local reporting provides an alternate end date of May 31. The Extension invites prospective participants to review the syllabus for weekly topics and deadlines and to contact staff for confirmation of final scheduling and field-session locations. Materials describe the course as a mix of online modules, scheduled Zoom meetings, and three in-person field sessions; a local summary states the offering will include three in-person half-day field tours, three evening virtual learning sessions, and 14 online modules.

Anna Stockstad, Extension Educator, Forest Ecosystem Health, is listed as the instructor for the Iron Range cohort. Administrative contacts for registration and technical help are listed: Emily Dombeck, edombeck@umn.edu, 612-624-8165, and Extension Registration at ext-reg@umn.edu. For Canvas or login problems, participants can call the University of Minnesota IT Help Line at 612-301-4357 and should mention they are using a “guest account” to register for a non-credit Canvas course.

The program description highlights practical outcomes. “Whether you own property with woodlands, steward woodlands, or are looking to buy wooded property and wish to learn more about forest management, the Minnesota Woodland Steward program can help you on your journey,” the Extension states. The main program page adds that Minnesota Woodland Steward “teaches family forest owners and forest caretakers the ins and outs of forest health, timber harvesting, management for recreation and wildlife, estate planning, tax incentive programs and more.” Hometown reporting notes participants “will learn strategies to improve the resilience of their woodlands to fire, insect outbreaks, and more.”

Costs are tiered: MWS Scholarship $150, MWS Standard $295, MWS Supporter $395, and registration is waived for Tribal members (Tribal member $0.00). Family participation rules allow one registration per family with a single Canvas account provided. The Extension notes its site is available in English and Spanish and follows W3C WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility guidelines; the work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

For Lake County landowners, the course is a locally focused opportunity to reduce public health and economic harms from wildfire smoke and landscape-scale insect damage while building management skills and accessing tax and estate planning information. Prospective participants should contact Emily Dombeck or ext-reg@umn.edu to enroll, request the syllabus, and confirm field-session locations and any enrollment limits.