Forestry
Experience Iowa Woodlands
Learn about Iowa’s three million acres of woodlands. Explore and experience woodlands in your community. Engage with fellow woodlands stewards statewide. Your journey begins here!
Forestry Contacts by County
Tree Identification Guide
Identify the most common trees in Iowa from characteristics such as leaves, twigs, fruits, and bark.
Forestry Resources
Recent Forestry Blog Posts
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New Resource: On-farm Forestry Field Guide
July 16, 2026Content AuthorIowa Learning Farms, a conservation education and outreach program from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, has published the On-Farm Forestry Field Guide for Iowa, which is available at no cost. The guide covers tree-centric topics and provides detailed advice on approaches to forest management. It also highlights on-farm benefits ranging from windbreaks and erosion control to crop trees and high-value timber production...
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Tree Planting Basics
May 14, 2026Content AuthorSpringtime in Iowa is a great season to plant a tree or three, but success depends upon following sound installation practices. Tips and advice found in this article will help novice and experienced gardeners, and their trees, get off to a great start...
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More than a Pile of Woodchips: The Forest Stewardship-Bioreactor Connection
April 17, 2026Content Author
The Forest-to-Farm effort is an interdisciplinary research-extension effort aimed at increasing denitrifying woodchip bioreactor adoption while simultaneously addressing a range of issues facing Iowa’s woodlands and forest products industry. Started in 2019 as a First Year Honors Mentor Program project (budget of $250), the effort has since expanded to ~$1.5 million through combined funding from the US Forest Service, USDA NIFA, NRCS, and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center – each award focusing on individual, yet interrelated, components of the bioreactor system and woodchip supply chain...
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March 12, 2026Content Author
This past fall, The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium partnered with the ISU Windbreak School to host workshops across the state to discuss establishing and managing windbreaks, along with how to enhance these valuable landscape features for monarchs! Watch this short video to hear from the Webster family, one of the hosts for the Windbreak School, about their windbreak journey and what its presence means to them.