Forest Stewards Guild

Biochar and carbon removal credits for landowners
2025-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Register
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 p.m. EDT
The Guild welcomes Kaarsten Turner of North Fork Advisors LLC, and Tim McAbee of Desired Future Conditions LLC, to share their knowledge and insights into biochar production. The potential to secure carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits for the production of biochar has opened new opportunities for landowners. However, the logistics and other hurdles present barriers for landowners’ access to these new markets. This webinar will provide a brief overview of mid-scale biochar production, CDR credits, and regional context in the intermountain west and Southeast U.S.

Longleaf, Fire, and PBAs – it takes a village!
2025-04-24 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Register
April 24, 2025
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. ET
Approved for one category 1 SAF CFE credit
Join us on April 24th for an insightful discussion hosted by the Guild, featuring Karen Brown from the Longleaf Alliance and Ryan Mitchell from Tall Timbers. Together, they will explore the crucial role of fire in sustaining healthy longleaf pine ecosystems and how Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) can be a powerful resource for getting fire back on the land. As PBAs continue to grow in popularity, they offer landowners incredible opportunities to learn, collaborate, and implement safe, effective fire management practices. Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable knowledge on how to enhance your property while supporting the restoration of vital ecosystems.
Agenda:
10:00 – Welcome and introductions
10:05-10:25 – “Longleaf: The Pine that Fire Built” – Karen Brown, The Longleaf Alliance

Adaptations to fire throughout the longleaf pine life cycle and growth habit
Fire return intervals for longleaf habitats
Management needs addressed by fire in longleaf systems

10:25-10:30 – Questions
10:30-10:50 – How Prescribed Burn Associations can help you start or improve your prescribed burning on your property – Ryan Mitchell, Tall Timbers

This talk will identify barriers to prescribed burning indicated by landowners and how Prescribed Burn Associations can help overcome those barriers through training, coordination, and capacity building.

10:50-11 – Questions, open discussion, and closing remarks

Shaping Georgia’s Forests Future: Tax Policy, Landowner Decisions, and Conservation Impact
2025-04-28 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Register
April 28, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
Approved for one category 1 SAF CFE credit
Join us for an engaging webinar that delves into the intersection of forest policy, taxation, and private land stewardship. The first presentation will provide a clear overview of forest-related taxes and incentives, highlighting how tax policy can support sustainable forest management and conservation among private landowners. The second presentation will share findings from a survey of family forest owners in Georgia’s Upper Flint River watershed, offering insights into landowners’ awareness of conservation programs and how these influence land use decisions. Together, these talks will explore the complex dynamics between policy tools, landowner behavior, and long-term forest conservation goals.
Agenda
2:00 – Welcome and introductions
2:05-2:25 – Dr. Yanshu Li, University of Georgia
Title: “An Overview of Timber Taxes”
Description: This presentation offers a concise yet informative exploration of the major types of forest-related taxes and the range of tax incentives and preferential tax provisions designed to support private forest landowners. It sheds light on how tax policy intersects with sustainable forest management, conservation goals, and long-term land stewardship. By outlining the financial frameworks that influence landowner decisions, the discussion emphasizes the critical role of taxation in shaping the economic landscape of private forestry in the United States.
2:25-2:30 – Questions
2:30-2:50 – Dr. Jesse Abrams, University of Georgia
Title: “How Georgia Family Forest Owners Uptake Conservation Policy & Program Knowledge”
In the talk, we will present results from a survey of family forest owners in the Upper Flint River watershed regarding their familiarity with and adoption of various conservation programs and policy tools. We will also discuss the relationship between participation in these policies and intentions to transfer or subdivide forestland. In the context of other research on similar topics, we will explore the tensions and tradeoffs regarding forest conservation policy effectiveness and landowner adoption.
2:50-3:00 – Questions, open discussion, and closing remarks

The Guild’s Business Plan (webinar)
2025-04-30 12:00 - 2025-05-01 19:00 (America/New_York)
Register (for one or both sessions…they will be the same presentation)
April 30, 2025 at Noon EDT
May 1, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. EDT
Guild members are invited to join a discussion about our new business plan. Ignited by the spark of shared passion, the Guild was founded in 1995 to both practice and promote forest stewardship. Our national network of members, staff, and partners have advanced the culture of forest stewardship based on ethical principles, best-available science, and diverse experience. Three decades of thought-meets-practice leadership from the Guild and partners has brought the concept of ecological forestry from the fringes to become the expected standard for management in much of the U.S., but there is much more work to do!
Zander Evans will share the strategic choices the Guild is making to expand our positive impact, increase our membership, and step up to our responsibility to keep forests healthy in the face of wildfire, droughts, invasive species, and other threats. We will host two opportunities with the hope the one option will work for members interested in the discussion.

Slow Wood: Ecological Forestry and Green Building in New England
2025-05-01 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Register (This is a hybrid event. You’ll have an option in the registration link to attend online via zoom or in-person.)
May 1, 2025
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
Physical location:
George D. Aiken Center, Room 311
University of Vermont
81 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05403
Or online: zoom join link will be sent to you via email after registration
Event flyer for download
Join us for an inspiring hybrid event with Dr. Brian Donahue, Professor Emeritus of American Environmental Studies from Brandeis University, to explore his new book Slow Wood: Greener Building From Local Forests.
We’ll cover Donahue’s take on embracing sustainable living, building his own timber frame home from local wood, and creating a blueprint to live more responsibly.
Following the talk there will be time for questions and answers with the group.
This event is approved for 1.00 SAF Category 1 Continuing Forestry Education Credit.
If you have questions, please contact Rachel Swanwick, the Guild’s Northeast Program Manager at rswanwick@forestguild.org.

Eyes on the Future of Ash: Incorporating Lingering Ash Detection and Breeding into Monitoring and Management
2025-07-02 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Register
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
About the Webinar:
Join the Forest Stewards Guild’s Sustaining Ash Partners Network, the Monitoring and Managing Ash (MaMA) program, and partners for our upcoming webinar focused on strategies to monitor and manage for lingering ash (trees with resistance to EAB) at all stages of the EAB infestation. Discover how lingering ash trees play a critical role in the future of our forests for ash stewardship and EAB resistance breeding!
You’ll Learn:

Strategies for integrating lingering ash detection into management for the emerald ash borer (EAB) invasion
How you can incorporate resistance breeding into conservation efforts for ash
Practical forest management approaches through case studies in the Northeast

Featuring Speakers:

Jonathan Rosenthal & Dr. Radka Wildova, Ecological Research Institute, Monitoring and Managing Ash (MaMA)
Pieter Van Loon, Forester, Vermont Land Trust
Meredith Taylor, Biologist, NYC Department of Environmental Protection

Webinar agenda
This event is approved for 1.00 SAF Category 1 Continuing Education Credit.
The Sustaining Ash Partners Network is supported by the USDA Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration program.
If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Swanwick at rswanwick@forestguild.org.

Northeast – Midwest Regional Prescribed Fire Science and Management Workshop
2025-07-08 08:00 - 2025-07-10 17:00 (America/New_York)
Register
July 8 – 10, 2025
Virtual presentations and in-person field tours
Full event website
Event schedule
This year, we are taking a fresh approach with our 2025 Workshop by introducing a “Blended Learning Excursion.” The event will span three days, combining virtual learning with in-person field trip opportunities across the Northeast and Midwest.

Day One will feature a half day of virtual presentations, with Keynote from Dr. Stephen J. Pyne, and a Session on The Many Cultures of Fire.
Day Two will be in-person field trips, hosted independently across the Northeast-Midwest by willing participants; and a bonus virtual session featuring Educational Opportunities and Resources Related to Prescribed Burning.
On Day Three, we will have another half day of virtual presentations focused on common denominators of organizational, local, and regional fire cultures for successful wildland fire management, and lightning presentations by representation from each of the 20 States in a Prescribed Fire Update.

The workshop is sponsored by the Northeast Regional Strategy Committee (NE RSC), a regional organization chartered by the national Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) to coordinate and support implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy across the 20 Northeast and Midwest states.

Significant mortality of old trees across a dry forest landscape in Oregon
2025-08-27 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Register
Aug 27, 2025
Noon – 1:00 p.m. PT / 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT / 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Continuing education credits are pending approval.
Webinar Presenter: Dr. James Johnston, University of Oregon
Description: Dr. Johnston will discuss recent forest mortality dynamics based on a network of 1617 trees in unlogged roadless areas in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon with precise age and growth data. There was extensive mortality of the oldest trees in stands—a quarter of trees greater than 300 years of age died over a ten-year period. There was little evidence for a difference in mortality between species in sites that experienced wildfire. Dr. Johnston will also describe a novel simulation model which demonstrated that succession of young trees is unlikely to replace recent losses of old trees. The confluence of a rare insect defoliator outbreak, drought, and past management decisions that increased competitive stress and fuel connectivity is the most likely explanation for the elevated mortality we observed. The protected areas where the team collected data are not achieving old tree conservation objectives. Active management to reduce forest competition is the most realistic pathway for old tree conservation in dry forests.

Forest Management Tools for Songbird Conservation - Webinar
2025-09-30 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Register for this webinar
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET
Join the Forest Stewards Guild and partners for an in-depth look at practical tools and strategies for managing forests to support healthy songbird populations. This 90-minute session will introduce concepts like connectivity and occupancy mapping, demonstrate how these approaches can guide on-the-ground decisions, and highlight conservation programs that align with bird-friendly forestry goals. Presenters will cover operational logistics, from identifying sites and developing harvest plans to large-scale management planning and share real-world examples of successful projects. Participants will also explore hands-on management tools, including connectivity and occupancy mapping resources, a NRCS approved forest management plan template, and bird friendly silviculture guide.
This event has been approved for 1 Category 1 continuing education credit by SAF.
Agenda
12:00 – 12:10: Welcome, introductions, & housekeeping
12:10 – 12:20: Wildlands Network – What is connectivity? What is occupancy mapping?
12:20 – 12:35: AMJV – Using occupancy mapping and connectivity as a management tool + working with local foresters
12:35 – 12:50: NRCS – Available conservation programs, bird ecology, model program project example
12:50 – 1:15: Aurora – Operational logistics (site ID, harvest plan, selling timber), largescale management planning
1:15 – 1:25: Breakouts – Tools for Management:

Connectivity mapping and bird occupancy
Management Plan Template
Silviculture Guide

1:25 – 1:30: Closing remarks

Northern Forest Birds Network Conference 2025
2025-10-07 08:00 - 2025-10-08 16:00 (America/Chicago)
Register today
October 7, 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Cloquet Forestry Center (CFC), 175 University Rd, Cloquet, MN 55720
October 8, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. carpooling from CFC for the day at Sax-Zim Bog (limited to 40 people).
Draft agenda
Forests across the Midwest are facing unprecedented threats from a rapidly changing climate and increasing pest pressures. Simultaneously, experts are seeing steep decline in regional bird populations that could be linked to widespread habitat loss and degradation.
Join us on Tuesday, October 7th as local experts present innovative ways to create resilient and sustainable lowland conifer systems. We will also be taking a deep dive in Forestry for Minnesota Birds case examples followed by an interactive workshop. On Wednesday, October 8th we will take a tour of the world famous Sax-Zim Bog (limited to 40 attendees, secure your spot today)!
Registration details:
Registration is flexible for you to build what works for you! Lunch is available on both days if you select it in registration. It includes a small fee on top of the affordable registration rate. On-site lodging is also available for a fee at CFC on the nights of October 6th and/or 7th if you select it in registration.
Note: there will also be a virtual option for Tuesday’s portion of this event. Stay tuned…

Big trees burning: Divergent wildfire effects on large trees in open- vs. closed-canopy forests
2025-10-28 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Register
October 28, 2025
Noon – 1:00 p.m. PT / 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT / 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

Dr. Garrett Meigs, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, will share new research on contemporary versus historical fire effects, specific impacts on large trees within closed versus open canopies, and the role of fuel reduction treatments. Focusing on the 2021 Schneider Springs Fire, which encompassed 113,689 acres in the eastern Cascade Range of Washington and burned during a period of severe drought, this study addresses three interrelated questions:

1) Are burn severity distributions consistent with historical fire regimes in dry, moist, and cold forest types?
2) How does burn severity vary among forest structure classes, particularly large trees with open versus closed canopies? 3) How do fuel reduction treatments influence forest structure and burn severity inside and outside of treated areas?

The results highlight the susceptibility of dense, late-successional forests to contemporary fires, even in events with widespread potentially beneficial effects consistent with historical fire regimes. The findings also illustrate the effectiveness of treatments that shift large-closed to large-open structures and suggest that treatments may help mitigate fire effects in adjacent large-closed forests. The full scientific paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70360

Longleaf Pine as a Source of Food, Medicine, and Craft for Tribal Nations of the Southeast
2025-11-05 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Register
November 5, 2025
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. – Noon MT / Noon – 1:00 p.m. CT / 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
CFE credits are pending
Join us for this ForestHer NC event! Nancy Strickland Chavis is a prominent figure in the field of Native American history and culture. She has dedicated her career to museum education and administration, with significant contributions to the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City. Her current role is Director and Curator of The Museum of the Southeast American Indian at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Nancy is a member of the Lumbee Tribe and has been involved in various educational and cultural initiatives, including the Ancestral Corn Reclamation Project and the Green Corn Ceremony. Her work continues to inspire and educate audiences about the rich heritage and history of Native American tribes.

Mesophytic Coves: Hope for Hemlocks
2025-11-14 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Register
November 14, 2025
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Webinar on zoom – a join link will be sent to you after registration
North Carolina’s hemlock trees need your help. We have two species of hemlock in North Carolina – the eastern and the Carolina. The invasive hemlock woolly adelgid threatens both.
Though hemlocks are declining, there is hope to bring them back to their previous glory. The mission of the Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI) is to work with a variety of partners and existing programs to restore hemlocks to long-term health throughout North Carolina and ensure that eastern and Carolina hemlocks can resist hemlock woolly adelgid and survive to maturity on North Carolina’s public and private lands.
Join Olivia from the HRI to learn about hemlock ecology, woolly adelgid biology, what is being done to help, and management strategies.

Influence of resources, Invasive Chinese Tallow, and environmental stress on bottomland forest species
2025-11-19 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Register for this webinar
November 19, 2025
11:00 a.m. – Noon ET
Presenter: Zhongqian Cheng
The survival and growth of bottomland tree species in floodplain ecosystems are largely driven by species-specific resource and environmental conditions, and invasive Chinese tallow presences. Unpredictable timing and duration of hydroperiods have introduced greater uncertainty in seedling survival and growth. Dr. Cheng will present findings from one field study and two controlled greenhouse studies on several bottomland forest seedlings. These studies examined the underground and aboveground conditions needed for seedling survival and the response of seedling height growth to the presence of Chinese tallow, shade, and flooding conditions. We will discuss the management implications for monitoring bottomland forest restoration and controlling invasive species.
Presenter Bio:
I am currently a postdoc research associate in Forest Ecology and Management at Stephen F. Austin State University. I hold a PhD in Ecology from Peking University, a master’s degree in Silviculture, and a bachelor’s degree in Forestry from Beijing Forestry University. In addition, I have worked or studied in Sweden, Finland, and Germany. My research interests focus on understanding forest dynamics and functions, and the role of silviculture practices in supporting sustainable forest management under changing climate and disturbance regimes.
This webinar is approved for 1 Category 1 continuing education credit through SAF.

This webinar is sponsored by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Webinar: Permanent retention of exceptional trees can improve ecosystem integrity in managed forests
2025-12-03 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Register
December 3, 2025
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PT / 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT / 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CT / 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Please join us for a webinar with Drs. Stephen Sillett and Marie Antoine (Cal Poly Humboldt) as they share research on the contributions of exceptional trees—the most robust, fastest-growing individuals—to stand-level productivity and biomass in managed forests.
The discussion will highlight recent work conducted across 20 locations where exceptional trees were paired with nearby co-dominant trees. Trees were climbed and cored at multiple heights for growth history reconstruction. The same areas were scanned with airborne lidar, and new algorithms were developed for crown-level canopy segmentation. Lidar data were linked with direct measurements to allow precise estimates of landscape-level aboveground biomass.
Findings show that exceptional trees grow faster than typical trees and contribute disproportionately to forest biomass, yet are largely restricted to creek drainages protected by forest practice rules. If long-term carbon storage and forest resilience are management priorities, then silvicultural approaches to restore more large trees across the landscape should be considered. Permanent protection for a subset of robust, undamaged trees is a twist on retention forestry well-suited to all forests where tree longevity exceeds rotation ages used in timber extraction. Setting exceptional trees aside now offers a hopeful action for the future

Guild Members FSC General Assembly Update & Discussion
2025-12-05 14:15 - 15:15 (America/New_York)
Register (Limited to current Guild members)
December 5, 2025
2:15 – 3:15 p.m. ET
Join us for a Guild member–exclusive online event as we dive into insights from the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) recent General Assembly (GA) held in Panama City from October 26–31.
Guest Speaker: Richard Donovan
Richard will share his firsthand experience and highlight the major takeaways from this important triennial gathering—one that plays a critical role in shaping the future of global forest certification processes.
Following the presentation, we’ll open the floor for a member discussion, offering space for conversation, questions, and shared reflections.

Tree Planting Best Practices in the Northeast - Webinar
2025-12-18 10:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York)
Register
December 18, 2025
10:00 a.m – 11:00 a.m. ET
Join this webinar where Guild member Dr. Tony D’Amato and Dr. Peter Clark from the University of Vermont will describe a new tree planting guide developed for foresters and natural resources professionals working in the Northeast: “Reforestation Guide: Tree Planting to Enrich, Restore, and Adapt Northern Forests.”
This webinar is jointly hosted by the Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network Forests Work Group, the University of Vermont, The Nature Conservancy, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. This event has been pre-approved for SAF CFE credit.

BF 235: Silvopasture course
2026-01-14 18:30 - 2026-02-18 20:00 (America/New_York)
Register
Wednesdays, from from January 14 – February 18
6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Full event details
Join Guild member Eli Roberts to learn to Integrate Trees, Livestock, and Forage for Multiple Wins on Your Farm.
There are many ways of combining trees, forage, and animals in useful, efficient, practical, and profitable arrangements. But none of these outcomes is guaranteed, and there are a lot of decisions required! When you take this course, you’ll be able to describe, plan for, and evaluate particular silvopasture practices and understand their place in the broader categories of Silvopasture and Agroforestry. You’ll also understand the potential pitfalls that differentiate good silvopasture from poor land management. You’ll leave with the tools to create silvopasture plans for your farm, and to engage with the topic of silvopasture as a practitioner and experimenter.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Plan a silvopasture project of your own, and understand how your plan relates to other silvopastures, and how it fits into the larger category of practices that involve trees on farms.
Articulate goals, clarify functions, plan layout and species, and choose implementation methods.
Understand the guardrails of silvopasture practice, and have the tools to avoid unmanaged forest grazing.
Have the tools to evaluate and make the decisions that will get you to a functional silvopasture.

This course is hosted by the Cornell Small Farms Program.
