Events Calendar

2021

October

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Elk - in Virginia!

October 15
12:15-12:30 p.m.
Zoom
Free

Now there are 3 ways to watch!

Facebook Live
Live on Zoom
At your leisure on YouTube

Join Virginia Cooperative Extension's Bill Worrell for 15 minutes in the forest.

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

Archived on The Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program's YouTube Channel

Invasive Plant Workshop Series Field Session

October 17
2 - 4:00 p.m.
Rappahannock County Park, Washington VA
$25

The in-person field session will cover the identification of common invasive plants and demonstrate manual and chemical control techniques. Specific topics include herbicide safety, using hand tools and power tools safely, and identification of specific invasive shrubs and vines. Space for this event is limited to 35 attendees.

Participants will also receive a copy of the new edition of Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas book.

Please make note of the following:
Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required to participate. No exceptions.
Please bring work gloves, safety glasses, and the following tools (optional): hand pruners, hatchet, loppers
Masks are required to participate. No exceptions.

This event will be held rain or shine. Tickets are non-refundable. Blue Ridge PRISM reserves the right to cancel the event in the case of severe weather or insufficient ticket sales (refunds will be issued in these instances). If you find that you cannot attend, please be kind enough to let us know at least 48 hours in advance.

For more information, please contact the Blue Ridge PRISM.

45th Annual Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour: Sussex County

October 19
$25/person; $40/couple
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Come help us celebrate our 45th anniversary!

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Garland Gray Forestry Center

19127 Sandy Hill Road, Courtland, VA 23837

Tour begins promptly at 9:00 a.m.

Stop 1: Bayyyybeee Pines, do do, do do da do: Garland Gray Nursery. This nursery produces over 32 million pine seedlings a year to restock areas that have been harvested. These are primarily loblolly pines of varying grades, though some shortleaf pine, longleaf pine, and Atlantic white cedar are also being raised here in efforts to restore those species in appropriate areas. Here we can see how the seeds are planted and cared for until they are sorted, sold, and distributed.

Stop 2: Big Woods State Forest and Wildlife Management Area/Piney Grove Preserve - Virginia’s Hardwood Initiative. We will hear from the Virginia Department of Forestry about the new Hardwood Initiative. This is a new initiative, but will see some of the early steps taken in this process.

Stop 3 : From Trash to Treasure: Log Deck Refurb for Wildlife. Just a small jaunt down the lane will take us to areas where the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is doing work to refurbish log loading decks to benefit wildlife.

Lunch: Airfield 4-H Center catered by Nanny’s BBQ

Stop 4: Fire Pong: Fire From Above. We will be able to witness a demonstration of how drones are being used to ignite fire for prescribed burning as well as different monitoring uses.

Stop 5: Perceptive Perspectives. Land managers face a diverse range of choices of what to do with acreage over a long time horizon with a resource that is ever-changing. This roundtable wrap-up will offer some ideas of small things that we can do today, to work toward achieving long-term goals decades from now.

Return by 4:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Neil Clark, neclark@vt.edu, 757-653-2572. Please register by 8:30 a.m. Monday, October 18th.

45th Annual Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour - Botetourt/Rockbridge Counties

October 27
$25/person; $40/couple
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Come help us celebrate our 45th anniversary!

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Fincastle United Methodist Church

137 S Church St, Fincastle, VA 24090

Tour begins promptly at 9:00 a.m.

From big trees in old counties with rock-bridges and high elevations, this tour will: feature general points of interest, demonstrate stellar wildlife habitat improvement, explore the complexities of hardwood management, witness the magic of state-of-the-art sawmilling and even provide an opportunity to watch robots milk cows!

Stop 1: National Champion Honey Locust. Virginia’s robust Big Tree program chronicles the lives of the known biggest tree of each species in the state. Some of these, like the honey locust in Fincastle, are National Champions! Also featured in the “Remarkable Trees of Virginia” book, the tree is believed to be over 200 years old and reclaimed its National Champion title in 2019.

Stop 2: Big & Tall (acres and elevation) - Fraley Place. With approximately 12,000 acres, there are lots of opportunities to do things well and not so well. Hear from the Fraley family about their journey to better wildlife management through better habitat management. Discussions will include the role of timber harvesting, golden-winged warblers and fire to make this property stellar example it is, with amazing views too!

Lunch: Ingleside Dairy. Drink milk while watching the robot harvest it from the cow at Ingleside Dairy. Food will also be available and a quick stop elsewhere on this diversified farm to see trout farming.

Stop 3: Hardwood management is… “hard”. Virginia has a new initiative to make our hardwood forests better to keep oaks and other important species in the mix. At Deacon’s woodlot, we will look at a recent harvest and discuss ways to measure success.

Stop 4: Deacon’s Sawmill – From round to not… A tour of this state-of-the-art facility illustrates the competitive nature of this business, the science woven throughout and the importance of forestry to our economy yesterday, today and tomorrow.

For more information, contact Adam Downing, adowning@vt.edu, 540-948-6881 or Bill Worrell, bworrell@vt.edu, 276-889-8056. Please register by 4:00 p.m. Wednesday October 13.

Central Virginia Beginning Woodland Owner Retreat

October 22-23
Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center, Appomattox
Individual, No Lodging - $55
Couple, No Lodging - $90
All on-site lodging is full

New woodland owners are invited to join the Virginia Department of Forestry and Virginia Cooperative Extension to learn about hardwood and pine forest management, wildlife management, working with a forester, and selling your timber. You will also get hands-on experience with tree identification, forestry equipment, and timber measurements. You will have the opportunity to interact with natural resource professionals from various agencies in Virginia, as well as with other landowners.

More info & Agenda
Registration is closed

Contact Jennifer Gagnon, 540-231-6391, jgagnon@vt.edu or Jason Fisher, 434-476-2147, for more information.

All current COVID 19 protocols will be followed. Full refunds will be issued if this event is cancelled.

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Managing Virginia Tech's Urban Forest

October 29
12:15-12:30 p.m.
Zoom
Free

Now there are 3 ways to watch!

Facebook Live
Live on Zoom
At your leisure on YouTube

Join Virginia Tech's Jennifer Gagnon and the campus' first arborist, Jamie King, for a 15 tour of Virginia Tech's urban forest.

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

Archived on The Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program's YouTube Channel

Events Calendar

2021

October

Fifteen Minutes in the Forest: Elk - in Virginia!

45th Annual Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour: Sussex County

45th Annual Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour - Botetourt/Rockbridge Counties

November

December

2022

January

February

March

April

May

June

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September

October

November

December

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