Student Spotlight - Hallie Harriman

Hallie Harriman has taken her personal interest of working with underserved private landowners to the next level by forming her thesis "A Qualitative Inquiry into the Experiences of Private Female Landowners." Hallie is a second-year Master of Agricultural and Environmental Education student in the ALEC Department who plans to graduate in May 2020. Hallie’s interest first piqued when she became aware of the lesser opportunities available to women who privately own land. The purpose of this study was to better understand the female experience of managing forested land in the Southeast U.S.

At the beginning of her program, Hallie listed two major questions on which she stemmed the majority of her research - What do women experience as forest land managers in Georgia? And do women experience forest management in Georgia?  

Throughout her research, she’s found that female land managers in Georgia develop appreciation and affection for land by creating memories as children with admired family members – most notably fathers and grandfathers. They often experience an “imposter” period upon initially taking land management roles, and they are thoughtful listeners who tend to make calculated decisions based on their knowledge and information/advice from a trusted forestry professional. These female land owners find that gender issues are not prevalent in their personal experiences but do exist in modern forestry. They believe strongly in creating genuine relationships with forestry professionals and other landowners and are vested in their land’s future.

Hallie and Dr. Fuhrman, better known as “Ranger Nick,” have worked closely on this project and have been able to bounce ideas back and forth to provide top-notch research.

Hallie said, “Dr. Fuhrman has been absolutely essential in the development and progress of this thesis. He is always able to provide thoughtful advice and a good dose of humor, particularly when the stress of academic life catches up with me. I strongly recommend any potential graduate student with an interest in pursuing environmental education degree (for both children and adults!) to reach out to Dr. Fuhrman. Plus, you get to see his plethora of critters on a weekly basis!”

When Hallie completes her research and thesis, she hopes it will reveal new ways to reach female landowners from an education and extension standpoint while highlighting better practices for recruiting and retaining other traditionally underserved groups in forestry education and land management, such as African Americans and Hispanics. Her overall goal for this project is to understand how forestry extension can better serve the demographics that compose America’s private land managers and use an identified target audience to better understand and eventually lead her to results that can help others.

By Mary Logan Tostenson