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Events Calendar

2024

September

Forest Owners and Carbon Incentives: An Informational Series

  • Mondays and Wednesdays September 2 - 18
  • 12:00 - 1:00
  • Free

During the Forest Owners and Carbon Incentives: An Informational Series, participants will learn about various aspects of climate change, its impact on forests, and the workings of carbon markets. The series will also introduce several key concepts essential to understanding recent developments in forestry, such as climate-smart forestry, carbon pools, and making informed decisions about carbon incentives.

Attend this six-part live webinar series to gain a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted impacts of climate change on forests.

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Using Drones in Forest Management

Virginia Tech's Jennifer Gagnon visits with John McGee (Virginia Tech) and Daniel Cross (CMI) to learn how they use uncrewed aerial vehicles drones) in forest management activities. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391.

New Christmas Tree Growers Meeting

Kyle Peer, Superintendent - Reynolds Homestead Forest Resources Research Center, and Tim Grove, grower of Caritas Tree Farm, will discuss getting started with Christmas tree production. The topics include seedling selection, planting techniques, farm layout, and shearing. We will also discuss applying pesticides and herbicides safely.

This is a hands-on workshop with indoor and outdoor sessions, wear appropriate footwear and bring work gloves. Please pre-register by September 9th.

Contact Kyle Peer, krpeer@vt.edu, 276-694-4135, for more information. 

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: ROWs can be WOW Habitat!

Adam Downing, Virginia Cooperative Extension, explores opportunities for creating wildlife habitat in an unlikely place - rights-of-ways!

For more information, contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391.

Southeast Virginia Beginning Woodland Owner Retreat

  • September 20-21
  • New Kent Forestry Center, Providence Forge
  • No lodging
    • $65 individual
    • $130 couple
  • Lodging
    • $130 Individual
    • $195 Couple     

The Beginning Woodland Owner Retreats were developed for those new to active woodland management. A combination of classroom, field trip, and hands-on activities will be used to teach concepts of sustainable woodland management. Onsite lodging is available and highly recommended.

Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for more information. 

Virginia Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Course

  • September 23 - October 4
  • Online
  • Free

This course was developed to promote the use of prescribed fire in Virginia, as well as to increase the knowledge and awareness of Virginia’s prescribed burn practitioners. Students will gain an understanding of fire history and uses, burn planning and implementation, fire effects, and smoke management. Certified prescribed burn managers can apply for an exemption to the 4 PM Burning Law to complete specific types of burning during the restricted period of February 15 to April 30.

Format: Online self-paced delivery, approximately 12 hours. Students have the flexibility to work through the materials as their schedules allow. Experienced cadre members will host virtual office hours on select dates where students can ask questions and engage in prescribed fire discussions.

Registration: Opens April 29 - Closes August 16, 2024. Register online. 

October

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: The Red Oak Family

Jason Fisher, Virginia Cooperative Extension, will teach you how to identify members of the red oak family that occur in Virginia. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391.

Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour - Rockingham County 

Rockingham County has a reputation of big agriculture and that it has! Stretching from the mountains flanking West Virginia to the Blue Ridge escarpment, it encompasses some of the Commonwealth’s best soils and water. This 3rd largest Virginia county also boasts productive forestlands, healthy wildlife populations, and innovative resource management.

Stop 1: DIY Forestry on the Farm. This 62-acre farm includes 25 acres of forests actively managed for the best flora and fauna the site can support. Forest health is being improved with invasive species management, prescribed burning, and more. Here we will explore various aspects of forest health and even experience a bird survey!

Stop 2: Silvopasture from Scratch, a FIRST for Virginia. The Holsinger Family Farm is a multi-generational beef operation on relatively few acres. Until recently, this farm had very few trees; it is now the site of Virginia’s first NRCS funded Silvopasture planting. This planting will help the family accomplish multiple goals related to both livestock and wildlife. Hear firsthand from this early adopter farming family about what they’ve learned along the way.

Stop 3: Broadway Community Park. Lunch.

Stop 4: Paul State Forest. This working State Forest on 173 acres is surrounded by farmland and boasts big old trees (including some about 2 centuries old!) on stellar soils. These cove hardwoods are managed for timber, wildlife, and recreation. If we’re lucky, we may see a cucumber tree as we discuss regeneration efforts to keep this forest growing good stuff and why good soils can create extra management challenges.

Stop 5. Timber in the City? More early adopters here in the Urban Wood arena! Just like in the woods, trees in urban areas can be managed for multiple goods and services in the built environment. When faced with the loss of much of the tree canopy due to the emerald ash borer, the City of Harrisonburg explored and implemented a diverse wood utilization program. Here we will visit a recycling center like few others, where beauty comes out of the ashes.

Please register by noon, Friday October 4th. 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. 

Contact Adam Downing, adowning@vt.edu, 540-948-6881 for details. 

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Sweetgum - Love it or Hate it? 

Neil Clark, Virginia Cooperative Extension, will talk about a native tree species that inspires a lot of, um, passion, for some woodland owners: sweetgum. 

For more information, contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391.

Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour - Bedford County 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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November

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Simple Tools to Measure Your Forest Part 2

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

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

More details coming soon!

Contact Bill Worrell, bworrell@vt.edu, 276-889-8056 for details. 

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December

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February

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

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. 

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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