Events Calendar
Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour - Bedford County
- October 24
- 8:30 - 5:00
- Bedford Virginia Cooperative Extension Office
- $45/person; $80/couple*
Bedford County is full of attractions, including the National D-Day Memorial, the stunning Peaks of Otter, Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, and Smith Mountain Lake. Agriculture and forestry account for tens of millions of dollars in economic impact in this county. This tour will explore these land uses.
Stop 1: Bob Burrough’s Farm. See a working farm that exhibits progressive farm to forest transitions that have enhanced watershed protection in the Otter River watershed.
Stop 2: Larry Lassiter’s Farm: From Hay to Hardwood. The tour continues with timber harvesting for wildlife and management of the diminished native species, shortleaf pine. We’ll also learn about pollinator habitat. This stop will wrap up with a view of a floodplain that was converted to bottomland hardwood species.
Stop 3: Lunch and Learn. After a catered lunch, expert herpetologist and vernal pools specialist Mike Hayslett will lead a walk and talk on the importance of vernal pool wetlands and their unique inhabitants.
Stop 4: Turman Forest Products, Inc. Hardwood Mill. Most of Turman Forest Products’ logs are sourced from the Appalachian Mountains of Bedford, Botetourt, Rockbridge, Amherst, and Roanoke counties. Learn about the Turman flooring business as logs arrive at its Bedford facility.
Stop 5: You Ain’t From Around Here! Actively managing your forest means you just might get some unwanted invaders. Nonnative invasive plant and insect identification and control are an important part of forest management. Watch demonstrations of invasive plant control options for ailanthus, privet, and autumn olive.
Please register by noon, Wednesday October 17. Registration includes lunch, refreshments, and transportation
*A limited number of full scholarships are available for K-12 teachers. Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for details.
- Registration is closed
For more information contact: Jason Fisher, jasonf@vt.edu, 434-476-2147.
Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour - Dinwiddie County
- October 25
- 8:30 - 5:00
- Trinity Church
- $45/person; $80/couple*
Dinwiddie County is home to the Pamplin Historical Park, site of the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, and the site of the Civil War’s Battle of Lewis’s Farm. It has over 244,000 acres of forests, making forestry one of the county’s leading industries. This tour will explore sustainable forestry practices in this historic county.
Stop 1: You Can Do it All! Take a look at multiple stands, managed in sync on a 60 acre tract, that are managed for multiple objectives, including timber, wildlife, pine, and hardwoods – Oh My! By synching management activities, the owners were able to find contractors who clearcut some areas, to create early successional habitat, and thinned other areas, to leave some mature trees for roosting, aesthetics, and diversifying future products. Lower-quality oaks (from a timber perspective) were left to produce acorns for wildlife. Streamside Management Zones and fire breaks all help balance multiple objectives on a relatively small tract.
Stop 2: Lunch. Next, we’ll be treated to some homestyle cookin’: meatloaf, chicken-n-dumplings, plus a delicious selection of sides.
Stop 3: Got Good Genes? To get a great stand, you’ve gotta start with good trees. Whether it be corn, cattle, scientists, or athletes; it takes a great head-start from genetics to get the highest performance. Here we will look at 3 young stands planted at the same time with different seedling genetics. We will cover various aspects in selecting genetic planting stock depending on site specifics and owner objectives.
Please register by noon, Thursday October 18. Registration includes lunch, refreshments, and transportation
*A limited number of full scholarships are available for K-12 teachers. Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for details.
- Registration is closed
For more information contact: Neil Clark, 757-653-2572, neclark@vt.edu.
Generation NEXT Workshop
- October 26
- 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
- Timberlake Tavern, Lynchburg
- $80/up to 2 people, $40 each additional family member
If you have woodland, you have a legacy worth passing on. Hear from a panel of experts how to keep your woodland intact, in forest and in family as it passes through the generations. There will be plenty of time to ask panelists (attorney, accountant, conservation expert) questions.
- Registration is closed
Land Management Practices for Biodiversity: Fields and Forests
- Tuesdays, October 29 - November 19
- Rappahannock Center for Education, Sperryville
- 9 - 10:30 AM
- $24.99
Rappahannock County brings us closer to the land and immerses us in biodiversity that city dwellers rarely experience. Living here inspires many residents to want to be more than passive occupants on their land. This class will help landowners better understand and appreciate the ecological functioning of their property, learn science-based land management techniques, and engage experts to discuss all the organizations that support conservation land management in Rappahannock County. Whether your property is open field or forest (or both!), this class is for you. We will combine classroom and field sessions to ensure practical, hands-on learning.
It is recommended that each student buy the book The Woods In Your Backyard for $8 (a reduced price!), which details the process of developing and implementing projects to enhance a property’s natural resources and will be used in the class The books will be available at the first class. (The book was authored by natural resource extension specialists from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.)
Register online
Contact Adam Downing, adowning@vt.edu, 540-948-6881, for more information.
Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Simple Tools to Measure Your Forest Part 2
- November 1
- Facebook Live and YouTube Premier
- 12:15 PM
- Free
Join Virginia Tech's Karen Snape to learn more ways to measure the trees in your woods. View Part 1 here.
For more information, contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391.
Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: A Forester Can Provide a Clear View of Your Forest Part 2
- November 15
- Facebook Live and YouTube Premier
- 12:15 PM
- Free
Join Virginia Cooperative Extension's Bill Worrell to learn more about working with a forester. View Part 1 here.
For more information, contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391.
Southwest Virginia Tree Syrup School
- November 23
- Oxbow Center, St. Paul
More details coming soon!
Contact Bill Worrell, bworrell@vt.edu, 276-889-8056 for details.
2025
33rd Annual Virginia Association of Forest Health Professionals Conference
- February 20-21
- Hotel 24 Staunton
Details coming soon!
Woods & Wildlife Conference
- February 22
- Squires Student Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg
- Early bird registration (before January 15) $45/person; $80/couple (tentative)
- Regular registration $55/person; $90/couple (tentative)
Join fellow woodland owners and natural resource professionals in beautiful Blacksburg Virginia for this annual day-long conference. A wide variety of topics will be presented. This conference is suitable for owners of both small and large acreages, both new and experienced woodland owners, Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, and those interested in learning about how Virginia's natural resources are managed.
- A detailed agenda will be available in November
- Registration opens December
- Contact Jennifer Gagnon, 540-231-6391, jgagnon@vt.edu for details
Woods & Wildlife Conference
- February 22
- Daniel Technology Center, Germanna Community College, Culpeper
- $55/person; $90/couple (tentative)
Join fellow woodland owners and natural resource professionals in beautiful Culpeper Virginia for this annual day-long conference. A wide variety of topics will be presented. This conference is suitable for owners of both small and large acreages, both new and experienced woodland owners, Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, and those interested in learning about how Virginia's natural resources are managed.
- A detailed agenda will be available in November,
- Registration opens December.
- Contact Adam Downing, 540-948-6881, adowning@vt.edu for details.