Join Northwest Natural Resource Group Director of Forestry, Kirk Hanson, on a tour of his family’s forest near Bucoda, WA where he has been implementing a wide range of ecologically-based forest management practices aimed at improving climate resilience, wildlife habitat, and timber productivity. For nearly 30 years Kirk has managed his family’s various forests for multiple benefits. With the acquisition of their Bucoda Forest in 2018, Kirk began a long-term process of restoring a young mixed hardwood/conifer forest that was rife with many issues small woodland owners face: invasive species, both overstocked and understocked stands, diminished diversity and wildlife habitat, and limited potential for timber production. Kirk will share his experience with forest restoration and working with various financial assistance programs to reduce the cost of improving the ecological and economic value of his land.

This tour will focus on young stand management practices and will cover the following topics:

• Pre-commercial thinning
• Managing red alder
• Managing Douglas-fir plantations
• Tree planting and seedling maintenance
• Wildlife habitat enhancement
• Commercial thinning
• Carbon sequestration
• Invasive plant species
• Forest mapping and monitoring
• Climate adaptation strategies
• Non-timber forest products
• Labor and financial costs of forest restoration
• Financial assistance programs for forest landowners

We will break for lunch during the tour – please bring a brown bag lunch for yourself, as well as adequate water/hydration!

Registration is limited to 25 people. Register soon to save your spot!

To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/young-stand-management-for-the-ecologically-minded-woodland-owner-tickets-667841872017.

This workshop is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number G142-23-W9216 through the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number WRGR22-009.