Forestry Events Held
Forests, Fire, & Your Property Workshop
Malo Grange, Malo, WASaturday, October 10, 2009
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Summer fires are a threat to all Ferry County property owners, and all property owners should have the skills needed to minimize risk to their forests. WSU Ferry County Extension, through funds provided by Washington State Department of Natural Resources, offered a workshop to help you do just that. This free workshop was held on Saturday, October 10th from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Malo Grange. This workshop taught the skills necessary to manage personal property with regard to fire risk. Participants learned how to choose which trees are best suited to the area, appropriate tree density and how fire travels through forest. The afternoon was spent in the field learning hands-on skills including thinning, pruning and long-term maintenance techniques. Hours spent attending this workshop count toward cost-share match for the East Malo Fuels Reduction Project.
Forest and Range Owners Field Day
K <> K Ranch, RepublicSaturday, June 20, 2009
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
The 2009 Forest and Rangeland Owners Field Day was well attended, with over 300 people from around the state gathering at K Diamond K Guest Ranch, for the WSU Extension and Washington Department of Natural Resources sponsored event. With educational programs running throughout the day, equipment demonstrations, vendors, bluegrass music, BBQ hamburgers, and nature games for kids, the field day had something for the whole family. Half of the attendees were local to Ferry, Okanogan, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties. Others primarily live in Puget Sound region and own land in Northeastern Washington. Some traveled from as far as Montana, California, and British Columbia.
The field day had two central purposes; to increase awareness about forest and rangeland management practices and to unite landowners with the resources they need for accomplishing future land management objectives. Important topics covered were forest insects and diseases, pruning and thinning, managing a timber sale, working with consulting foresters, rangeland restoration, determining stocking rates for grazing, tree and shrub identification, Native American uses of the land, wildlife habitat, and chainsaw safety and maintenance.
WSU Ferry County Extension forester Emily Burt said “This was a successful team effort. Educators from around the state contributed to the event. One of the main benefits is that landowners get a chance to share information with their neighbors, which is invaluable.” In addition to WSU faculty, specialists from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ferry County Conservation District, Washington Department of Labor and Industries, Washington Department of Agriculture, and several consulting foresters and forestry contractors also provided counsel for landowners.
One attendee commented “the bluegrass lunch entertainment made me forget about standing in line for lunch in the rain!”
The annual Field Day is sponsored by WSU Extension, in partnership with the WA DNR Forest Stewardship Program, the US Forest Service Cooperative Programs, and the Family Forest Foundation.Forest Stewardship Coached Planning
RepublicThursday evenings, Jan. 29 - Mar. 19, 2009
6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
This 8-session practical, hands-on course will help forest landowners prepare their own forest stewardship plan with guidance and "coaching" from natural resource professionals. Open to all, this program is designed to help forest landowners develop customized management solutions to meet their own unique objectives. Whether you own 5, 50, or 500 acres of forest, if you want to expand your knowledge and gain confidence for managing your forest, this class is for you. Course fee of $25 per family/ownership includes class materials, aerial photos and maps, and an individual site visit with a forester. Enrollment in this course is limited and is first-come, first-served. Please register early! For more information download a brochure, or contact Emily Burt by email or by calling (509) 775-5235.
18th Annual Loggers Workshop
Colville Ag Trade CenterWednesday March 18, 2009
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Topics will include fire behavior, selecting leave trees, DNR forest practice update, skidder safety and more. For more information download a brochure, or contact Emily Burt by email or by calling (509) 775-5235.
GPS Workshop and Native Plant Hike
Ferry County Fairgrounds - Carousel BuildingTuesday April 21, 2009
5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
This workshop will teach the basics about handheld GPS units while emphasizing native plant identification. The workshop will combine GPS instruction with field exercises highlighting native plant identification and local botany. Participants will learn how to use a GPS unit to find a destination, mark site locations, map trails, basic map and compass use and much more! GPS units will be provided to class members for the duration of the workshop, or you can bring your own. The workshop will combine indoor instruction with outdoor field exercises, so please come prepared to spend several hours in outdoor spring weather. There is no cost to register, but space is limited so register early. For more information download a brochure, or contact Emily Burt by email or by calling (509) 775-5235.
Ties to the Land
RepublicNovember 13 and December 4, 2008
6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
WSU Extension faculty in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Farm Forestry Association offered a total of 9 Ties to the Land workshops around the state during the months of November and December of 2008. This arrangement made it possible for family members who are spread out across the state to attend the same workshop, but in different locations. 260 individuals including 87 families stated they increased their knowledge and will develop a succession plan for their forestland. Succession Planning - the human side of Estate Planning - focuses on ways to maintain family ties to the land from generation to generation, building awareness of key challenges facing family businesses, and motivating families to address those challenges.
Ties to the Land is an award-winning curriculum developed by leading estate planning experts at Oregon State University Extension and the Austin Family Business Program. To learn more about Ties to the Land, visit http://www.familybusinessonline.org/resources/ttl/home.htm. If you are interested in attending this workshop in the future contact Emily Burt by email or by calling (509) 775-5235.