Whidbey Island Conservation District

Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Class     Winter 2012 - Coupeville

This 10-session practical, hands-on course will enable forest landowners to prepare their own forest stewardship plan with guidance and "coaching" from natural resource professionals.

Read about the benefits of Forest Stewardship and what another Whidbey Island landowner learned the Forest Stewearship class in the article "Seeing the Trees" in WSU's Washington State Magazine.  Click on this link to go to the article:  Seeing the Trees

Who Should Attend:
Open to all, this program is designed to help forest landowners develop customized management solutions to meet their own unique ownership objectives. Whether you own 5, 50, or 500 acres of forest, if you want to expand your knowledge, tools, and confidence for managing your forestland, this course is for you.

When:
■Class Sessions 6:30-9:30 PM Wednesday Evenings
■January 18 - March 14, 2012
■Saturday Field Trip February 25, 2012

Where:
Classes will be held at the Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental Stewardship, 180 Parker Rd Coupeville, WA 98239.

Benefits of attending:
■Learn about keeping your forest healthy and productive for generations to come.
■Learn how to identify and implement practical steps to meet your individual ownership objectives.
■Develop a written plan that may qualify you for property tax reductions for your forestland.
■Discover a variety of available resources for financial, educational, and technical assistance for stewarding your forest.
■Get an on-the-ground, personalized consultation by a forester and/or wildlife biologist to discuss plan development and implementation.
■Have your property recognized as a "Stewardship Forest".

Cost:
■$160 before January 1, 2012

■$185 after January 1, 2012
■Cost is per individual or couple from the same household/ownership and includes one set of materials.
Space is limited and is first-come, first-served. This class typically sells out. Please register early!

Registration
■For more information, go to this website:  http://ext.wsu.edu/forestry/calendar.htm

■Register online: https://ocrs.wsu.edu/Signup/?eventid=741

■Use your existing login if you have previously registered for conferences using WSU's Online Conference Registration System
■First-time users: Click "Create new account" to get started
■Once logged-in, click "New registration" to register for the workshop
■Note: we cannot take credit card payments over the phone

All Are Welcome!  Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.  Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations while participating in this program may call WSU Extension at 425-357-6017. If accommodation is not requested in advance, we cannot guarantee the availability of accommodation on site.

With thanks to our sponsors:  This Program is made possible in part by a grant from the Whidbey Island Conservation District.  This program is an educational partnership between WSU Extension, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Island County, the Whidbey Island Conservation District, and the US Forest Service.

Restorative Forestry Demonstration - Learn About the Advantages of Horse Power

This workshop was a great success!  Everyone learned about the goals and benefits of restorative forestry style of logging:

• Promotes uneven-aged forest
• Increases the development of high value timber that can bring income to the landowner every 10 - 30 years
• Preserves beauty, health, and function
• Allows for ongoing management versus clear-cut harvest

We also learned about the advantages of logging with horses.  Horse logging is especially beneficial to the small forest landowner because it avoids common problems such as leave-tree rubbing, seedling destruction, and soil compaction, thereby creating a healthy uneven-aged forest that recovers more quickly.  The loggers provided great demonstrations of creating a habitat tree and pulling logs from the forest to the landing site with their very handsome team of draft horses. 

This workshop was so well received that we are planning to hold another like it next spring or summer.  If you would like to attend, please let us know and we will add you to the waiting list.  Email:  Sarah@whidbeycd.org or call 360-678-4708.

News from WSU Extension Forestry

Welcome Island County - from Kevin Zobrist, WSU Area Extension Educator, Forest Stewardship

Several years of effort have finally paid off, as the WSU Extension Forest Stewardship program has now been expanded to cover Island County.  This means we will be having workshops and field days on both Whidbey and Camano Islands.  For you Whidbey folks, imagine not having to always take the ferry to come to one of our educational events!  We expect to host 2 Whidbey Forest Workshops this year; check back to this page or the Calendar of Events page for updates. 

For access to the current newsletter as well as archives, click on this link:  WSU Extension Puget Sound Forest Stewardship E-Newsletter

WSU has a new newsletter - Forest Stewardship Notes.  This newsletter includes upcoming events along with infromation about forest management.  You can sign up to receive this newsletter via email or go to the WSU Forest and Wildlife Extension webpage and click on the link there.  In either case, start at the webpage and follow the links:  WSU Forest and Wildlife Extension