Empowering forestry extension with geospatial technology

Abstract

Although geospatial technology has become an essential tool in forestry, it has not been widely applied in forestry extension and continuing education. Geospatial technology can be used to enhance our understanding of extension audiences and improve our ability to strategically plan education and training programs. In this article, we used the University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension forestry program as an example to illustrate how geospatial technology can assist program planning, monitor and predict trends, identify service gaps, improve information dissemination, and foresee extension opportunities.