Events Calendar
Online Woodland Options for Landowners
- July 1 - September 9
- Online
- $55/family
- Syllabus
This 10-week, self-paced, not for credit course is for landowners of any acreage who want to gain an introductory level of understanding of basic woodland management and become better stewards of their land.
Participants will receive 5 books:
- Common Forest Trees of Virginia
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of Virginia
- American Forests: A History of Resilience and Recovery
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas
- Welcome to the Woods: A Guide for New Virginia Woodland Owners.
Participants who complete all the course materials will also receive a copy of the award-winning book: Legacy Planning: A Guide for Virginia Landowners.
An optional end of the semester hands-on field trip is also included with registration. This year, the field trip will be held on October 12 at the Shenandoah Valley AREC, McCormck Farm, in Raphine.
- Registration is closed
Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for more information.
Virginia Tree Farm Foundation Tree Farm Tour - Sussex County
- July 12
- Sussex County
- 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
- $20/person; $35/couple
We will enjoy a catered lunch and hear from the Virginia Tree Farm Foundation. Then we will take a tour of Bill Owen’s Tree Farm to learn about managing for the diminished, but lovely, longleaf pine.
Registration includes lunch, and transportation to and around the Tree Farm.
Virginia Tree Farm Foundation Tree Farm Tour - Highland County
- July 26
- Highland County
- 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
- $20/person; $35/couple
We’ll enjoy a catered lunch and learn a bit about the Virginia Tree Farm Foundation. After, we’ll travel just down the road to Coon Family Properties LLC Tree Farm. There we will learn about managing Appalachian hardwood forests and controlling invasive species.
Registration includes lunch, and transportation to and around the Tree Farm.
Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for more information.
Teaching Trees
- July 24-25
- McCormick Farm, Raphine
- $25 (includes materials, light breakfast, lunch, and snacks both days)
This field-based professional development opportunity is for middle and high school science teachers. Participants will receive 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.
Generation NEXT Workshop
- August 9, 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM &
- August 10, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton
- $90/up to 2 people; $10 each additional family member
If you have woodland, you have a legacy worth passing on. Join a panel of experts to learn how to keep your woodlands intact, in forest, and in family, as they pass through the generations.
Timber Cruising for Woodland Owners
- August 16
- 10:30 - 4:00
- McCormick Farm, Raphine
- $45/person includes lunch
Hiring a professional forester is the best way to ensure an accurate accounting of your timber volume and value. And it’s also important for you to understand where those numbers come from. This hands-on class will teach you why and how timber cruises are conducted.
All participants will take home an angle gauge and a Biltmore stick.
Registration is limited to 30 participants.
Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt,edu, 540-231-6391 for details.
Virginia Tree Farm Foundation Tree Farm Tour - Shenandoah County
- August 23
- Shenandoah County
- 12:15 pm - 3:00 pm
- $20/person; $35/couple
We will enjoy lunch together and learn about the Virginia Tree Farm Foundation. Then we’ll explore the Caroline Furnace Camp and Retreat Center, a 239 acre Tree Farm in the heart of Shenandoah.
Registration includes lunch, and transportation to and around the Tree Farm.
Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for more information.
Virginia Tree Farm Foundation Tree Farm Tour - Bland County
- August 30
- Bland County
- 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- $20/person; $35/couple
We will enjoy lunch together on Demeter, Virginia’s 2024 Tree Farm of the Year, and learn about the Virginia Tree Farm Foundation. Then we’ll explore this 540 acre property to see the variety of management and research activities taking place on the land.
Registration is limited to 8 people.
Registration includes lunch, and transportation to and around the Tree Farm.
Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for more information.
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
- Agenda
- Details and register by mail
- Register online
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.
Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tours
- October 3 (tentative) - Wise County
- October 11 - Rockingham County
- October 24 - Bedford County
- October 25 - Dinwiddie County
- Tour details and registration available August 2024
Contact Jennifer Gagnon, jgagnon@vt.edu, 540-231-6391 for details.
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. Join a panel of experts to learn how to keep your woodland intact, in forest and in family as it passes through the generations.
- Online registration opens in August
- Register by mail