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Abstract
Natural and social science are used infrequently with one another. This research employs both to understand two different, yet related topics. Female forest landowners (FFLs) often lack information, experience, and a landowner network. The Women in Forestry Workshop study developed and assessed workshops for FFLs to build knowledge, confidence, peer-to-peer learning, and participants’ social network. Participants showed an increase in confidence and felt empowered by the workshops. Social networks and peer-to-peer learning happened during and after the workshops among FFLs. The second study assessed arthropods in longleaf pine tree canopies and if they varied among ecological communities. A total of 4,004 arthropods were collected with flightless Collembola being the second most abundant organism collected. Canopy arthropod communities were similar among ecological communities except the number of hemipteran families. Increasing our knowledge of natural systems, such as canopy arthropods, informs landowners how better to manage and conserve their land.