Virginia Tech® home

Events Calendar

2024

July

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. 

  • Registration is closed

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.

Learn more and register online

August

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.

September

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

Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tours

  • October 3 - 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 

November

December

2025

January 

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. 

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December