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Events Calendar

2025

May

Southwest Virginia Beginning Woodland Owner Retreat 

  • May 30-31
  • Soutwest Virignia 4H Educational Center, Abingdon
  • No Lodging
    • Individual $60; Couple $120
  • Lodging Friday only
    • Individual $90; Couple $180
  • Lodging Thurs. & Fri.
    • Individual $120; Couple $240

Landowner Retreats are hosted by the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension and are geared towards landowners who are new to forest management. The Retreats use a combination of classroom, field trip, and hands-on activities to provide information on hardwood and pine forest management. They also provide opportunities for interaction with natural resource professionals from various agencies in Virginia, as well as with other landowners.

  • Agenda 
  • Registration is closed

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June

Webinar - Generation NEXT Deep Dive: The Family Factor

  • June 4 - Please note new date
  • 6:30 - 8:30 PM
  • Virtual
  • $10/family

Discussions about what happens to family forestland when mom and dad die are difficult. Our experts share tips on how to make these conversations go smoothly. Registration fee includes a print copy of the award-winning book Legacy Planning: A Guide for Virginia Landowners.

Register online

Contact Karen Snape, ksnape@vt.edu, 540-231-6494 for more information. 

Remote Pilot (Drone) Certification Test Prep Workshop

  • June 12 & 13
  • Virtual 
  • $250 (register by May 29th)

The 2-day workshop will prepare participants with the knowledge necessary to take the FAA Remote Knowledge Aircraft Test (aka Part 107). The workshop provides participants with an overview of federal regulations, best flight operational strategies, and safety.  

The workshop has been well-received by educators, state & federal agency employees, the private sector (ranging from engineers to realtors), and a slew of folks from various NGOs.  This workshop is an excellent resource for individuals considering using drones to support business applications or for managers who want to make solid decisions regarding their ‘drone programs’ moving forward.

More information about the workshop and online registrations is available at:  https://virginiaview.cnre.vt.edu/workshops-events/

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Before the Storm

Join Virginia Tech's Karen Snape to learn how to prepare your trees so they can weather storms better. 

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July

Teaching Trees for Teachers

Teaching Trees is a 2-day training for middle and high school teachers who wish to incorporate forestry into a science or agriculture curriculum. 

What you’ll get: 14 hours of instruction in sustainable local forest management, forest ecology, and forest products; two SOL-correlated Project Learning Tree® modules and related teaching supplies; ideas for incorporating forestry field study into classes

Lodging reimbursement is available to those traveling from outside the area.

Contact Rich Wood, rwood@co.augusta.va.us, 540-248-0148 x 8 for more information.

Register online

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: TBA

Join Virginia Cooperative Extension's Bill Worrell on a new woodland adventure. 

Teaching Trees for Teachers

Teaching Trees is a 2-day training for middle and high school teachers who wish to incorporate forestry into a science or agriculture curriculum. 

What you’ll get: 14 hours of instruction in sustainable local forest management, forest ecology, and forest products; two SOL-correlated Project Learning Tree® modules and related teaching supplies; ideas for incorporating forestry field study into classes

Lodging reimbursement is available to those traveling from outside the area.

For registration information, please contact Ellen Powell – ellen.powell@dof.virginia.gov.

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August

Field Skills for Family Woodland Owners Field Trip

This capstone for the Online Woodland Options for Landowners class will provide an opportunity to practice tree identification, tree measurements and valuation, and take a tour to see active forest management practices in action. Breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and transportation for the field tour are provided. 

Free for current Online Woodland Options students (please e-mail jgagnon@vt.edu to be put on the registration list)

$25 for all other woodland owners. 

Generation NEXT Legacy Planning Workshop

  • August 15 & 16
  • Orange County

Join family communication, conservation, legal, and financial experts to learn how to plan for passing your land on to the next generation while keeping it intact, in forest, and in family ownership.

Agenda and registration coming in June.

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September

Southeast Virginia: Beyond the Basics Advanced  Woodland Owner Retreat 

Advanced Woodland Owner Retreats are hosted by the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension and are geared towards landowners who have some experience with forest management.

Advanced Retreats take a deep dive into a specific forestry topic. They also provide opportunities for interaction with natural resource professionals from various agencies in Virginia, as well as with other landowners. A combination of classroom, field trip, and hands-on activities are used. 

Agenda and registration available in July.

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

Real Forestry for Real Estate

  • September 9
  • Mecklenburg County

This program focuses on the importance of forests and forestry, and provides real estate professionals with tools which may help them better market their product (i.e., rural land).  At the end of each program, we discuss the award-winning Welcome to the Woods publication and distribute a set number to each participant with instructions to hand them out to clients interested in purchasing forested land. 

For more information, contact Karen Snape, ksnape@vt.edu, 540-231-6494.

Woods & Wildlife Conference

  • September 13
  • Roanoke Rapids, NC

Join the first-ever south central Virginia/north central North Carolina landowner Woods & Wildlife Conference. Modeled after the ever-popular Woods & Wildlife Conferences in Culpeper and southwest Virginia, this one-day event will consist of concurrent sessions and a tour of the nearby Roseburg Forest Products mill. 

More details and registration coming early summer 2025.

For more information, contact Neil Clark, neclark@vt.edu or Jason Fisher, kefishe@vt.edu.

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October

Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tours

Join landowners, natural resource professionals, and other outdoor lovers for day-long tours that explore a variety of sustainable forestry and wildlife management practices. Tours visit private, public, and industry-owned lands. 

Past tours have visited seedling nurseries, timber harvesting operations, sawmills, pine plantations, cooperages, hardwood forests, arboretums, Christmas tree farms, elk habitat, fisheries, hunting plantations, and more. 

  • October 2 Henry County
  • October 17 Frederick County
  • October TBA Virginia Beach
  • October TBA Wise County

Agendas and registration available in August. 

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November

2025 Southwest Virginia Tree Syrup School

  • November 22
  • St. Paul

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December

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2025 Programs