This workshop will combine in-field forest ecology instruction with opportunities for forest owners to learn risk-reduction techniques under professional supervision. Through a combination of instruction, demonstration, and activities, workshop participants will gain experience in tree-marking, tree felling, slash disposal, making biochar, empowering them to undertake that work on their own.
Topics
Instruction will be a combination of lecture, demonstration, and hands-on activities, including:
- Expected Climate Impacts: Temperature and precipitation changes we can expect and likely impacts on San Juan County forests, including fire risk, pests & disease, and species vulnerabilities.
- Stand Assessment 101: How to “read” and understand what is happening in your forest from an ecological perspective, and how to evaluate how climate-adapted your forest is. Topics include species competition, tree canopy classes, and timber quality.
- Choosing climate-adapted species: Which native species are well-suited for the anticipated future climate of this region. Sourcing native tree species from other regions. Drought and heat-tolerant understory and mid-canopy species.
- Forest Management Goals & Options: Strategies for reducing fire risk, improving timber growth and quality, emulating natural fire disturbance in your forest, and increasing resilience to climate change.
- Tree Selection for Thinning: The rhyme and reason for thinning from below, thinning across diameters, tree spacing, and species selection.
- Utilizing Cut Material: Strategies include lop & scatter, habitat piles, creating biochar, making constructed habitat logs, firewood, chipping, etc.
- Funding Forest Stewardship: How to fund your forest health work through cost-share programs.
Participants are encouraged to bring a sack lunch and water for the day. Coffee and snacks will be provided in the morning. More information about workshop activities will be provided closer to the workshop. The workshop will take place entirely outdoors.
This event is being held in a privately-owned forest in Eatonville.
Day and time: March 11, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
To register, visit https://www.nnrg.org/fireresilience/.
