This two-day course is designed for women. Our goal is that each student will leave the course being keenly aware of how to evaluate practices, and equipment for safety.
Ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest are home to the native bark beetle. However, human influence, denser forests, and increased temperatures and drought events have led to recent bark beetle outbreaks that threaten the health of ponderosa stands. Where dead trees stand, fire can move as much as three times more rapidly, creating dangerous conditions for firefighters and residents. Restoration treatments can be used to help restore the balance needed in ponderosa pine ecosystems.
The Okefenokee wildlife refuge wildfire is a good reminder that wildfires can happen anytime, anywhere. Normally spring rains keep the soils, plants and trees moist in this portion of northern Florida and southern Georgia. This year the springs rain did not come and the lack of precipitation allowed the woods to dry out. This, in turn, made the woods more prone to fire caused by a lightning strike.
A good aspen clear-cut mimics a natural disaster replacing an old stand with healthy seedlings. In the process it creates wildlife habitat for species that prefer young forests or the forests edge. Learn the key components of a successful regeneration cut.
“Harvest for Habitat” means thoughtfully and purposely harvesting trees in your woodlands to improve wildlife habitat. A well-planned tree harvest can improve the food and cover for specific wildlife by creating new growth and diversifying the ages, heights, and species of trees in your woodlands. Carefully planning which trees to harvest and retain can reap long-term habitat benefits beyond your own woodland.
Everyone I asked emphasized safety. Wives of loggers came up to me at church and asked if I was being safe. “Do you use chaps, eye protection, a hard hat, something for your ears, my dear?”
Trees provide shelter and food to the wildlife that live on your land, they hold the soil and protect it from erosion, they provide the air we all breathe, products you use everyday come from tree, and they provide us a place to walk, enjoy the peace and quiet we find in nature. However trees take decades to grow tall and strong. Are you preparing your woods for the next generation of trees? Are your woods healthy? Learn about how to evaluate your woods.
Then make your woods healthier with these activities:
Spend a weekend connecting with other women landowners, learning woods skills taught by women for women, and enjoying leisure activities in Western Montana’s historic Nine Mile Valley!
APRIL 26-28, 2019
Begins at 5:30pm on Friday the 26th and concludes at 3pm on Sunday the 28th
This two-day course chainsaw safety course designed for women. Most participants will have little or no experience with a chainsaw, though this course is also an effective refresher for more experienced individuals who have developed some bad habits with a saw. This is the gateway course to learning more advanced practices.