Forest Stewards Guild

Northern Forest Birds Network 2023 Conference – Forestry for Birds in a Changing Climate
2023-10-17 08:00 - 2023-10-18 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Connecticut Warbler. Photo by Robert Royse.
Register ($50 per person includes lunch, snacks, and beverages)
October 17 at 8:00 a.m. – October 18 at Noon, Central Time
AmericInn by Wyndham Ashland
3009 Lake Shore Dr E, Ashland, WI 54806
Lunch provided on Tuesday, October 17. (New registrations after October 13 are no longer guaranteed a lunch at this late date).
Lodging is available via a room block at the AmericInn. The cost is not included in the event registration. Please arrange for lodging on your own online or by calling 715-682-9950.
8.5 CFEs for SAF are approved. Pending approval on Wildlife Society CFEs.
Agenda for download – updated on October 10, 2023
The NFBN 2023 conference will benefit foresters, biologists, land managers, researchers, and private landowners. We will showcase collaborative initiatives, while sharing about bird conservation amid climate change, and discussing bird habitat management tools.
On day one, the conference will focus on project updates from Northern Forest Bird Network and Upper Mississippi River / Great Lakes Joint Venture, Forestry for Birds initiatives in Michigan and Minnesota, and discussions of forest bird habitat best management practices (BMPs). On day two, the morning session will be focused on climate change impacts for forest bird conservation and will be followed with a discussion of how our network can use the NIACS Climate Change Adaptation Workbook to promote large- and small-scale forest resilience.
Please see the full agenda for more details.
Event Contact: Jayme Strange, jstrange@abcbirds.org

Maine Guild Member Social Hour - Augusta
2023-10-20 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Register (free, current members and guests encouraged, buy-your-own drinks and food).
Not sure of your membership status? Contact membership@forestguild.org to confirm. Or join or renew today – we welcome you!
October 20, 2023
4:00 -6:00 p.m. ET
Cushnoc Brewing Co. Annex
3044 N Belfast Ave, Augusta, ME 04330
Join us for just a drink at the Cushnoc Brewing Co. Annex in Augusta, Maine! There is space indoors and out to gather and talk about all things forestry. We look forward to connecting with you!
Questions? Reach out to Maddie Eberly, maddie@forestguild.org

Maine Forest Climate Change Webinar & Field Tour Series: Burning as a Management Tool
2023-11-03 09:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Register for this field tour
November 3, 2023 field tour
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Waterboro Barrens Preserve
Details for this field tour:
Location: Waterboro Barrens Preserve, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy. 25 miles southwest of Portland, Maine this serene woodland preserve is home to the state’s superb example of a boreal pine barrens, a forest biohabitat adapted to thrive after periodic fires.
Discussion: Prescribed burning as a management and restoration tool for pitch pine & scrub oak at Waterboro Barrens Preserve.
Full Series Website and Summary:
Science and Practice: Addressing Forest Climate Change in Maine
An Interactive Webinar Series for Stakeholders and the Interested Public
Join us as we dig into forest health concerns due to climate impacts at new sites around the state. Our panelists will address management & restoration efforts, relevance of long-term research, fire as a tool, biohabitat concerns, forest health threats, and unique adaptation strategies at each site. Noontime webinars are free (registration required); field tour registration includes lunch, snacks, and van transport with $25 registration and limited space.

How Carbon Credits Influence Commercial Forest Management
2023-11-13 12:00 - 12:50 (America/New_York)
Register (includes full series)
Monday, November 13, 2023
12:00 – 12:50 p.m. ET
This is one session, led by Guild member Kyle Burdick of Baskahegan Company, in the Yale Forest Forum‘s fall’s speaker series titled: Understanding Climate Smart Forestry in Practice.
Climate-smart forestry has become a buzzword across the forestry sector and beyond. In this webinar series, we will learn from practitioners and researchers about how they put climate-smart forestry into practice. We will also learn how forests can be managed to enhance their carbon storage capabilities and/or increase their resilience to the impacts of climate. We will hear from speakers from public sector organizations, nonprofits, researchers, and academics from across the U.S., as well as practitioners “on-the-ground.”
The series is jointly hosted by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment, the USDA Northeast Climate Hub, and the USDA Southeast Climate Hub, and co-sponsored by the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture.
The speaker series is free and open to all. The webinars will be recorded and captioned, and recording links will be emailed to registrants after the live event.

Keeping Forests as Forests – Tax programs and other incentives for the Georgia landowner
2023-11-16 06:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Register
Thursday November 16, 2023
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. ET
Webinar on zoom (join information will be sent after you register)
Join the Forest Stewards Guild for an evening of learning about ways to keep forests as forests. We will be joined by experts on tax incentive programs, conservation easements, and the Georgia Forest Legacy Program. Come prepared with questions about your land!
Agenda for download:

6:00 – 6:20 | The importance of keeping forests as forests and the GA Forest Legacy Program
6:20 – 6:40 | Tax Incentives to Keep Forests in Forests – The Georgia Forest Land Protection Act and the Georgia Conservation Use Program (Georgia Department of Revenue)

6:40 – 7:00 | LandYield: Connecting Family Forests to Carbon Markets (Josh Fain, LandYield Director)
7:00-7:20 | Conservation Easements 101 – Athens Land Trust
7:20-7:30 Q&A Panel

Contact Dakota Wagner at dakota@forestguild.org with questions. This program was made possible through support from Graphic Packaging International LLC.

Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion Series: Fire History as a Bridge Between Ecological Knowledge Systems
2023-11-16 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Register
November 16, 2023
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CFE’s by the Society of American Foresters.
This panel discussion will explore how different types of fire history information (Indigenous Knowledge and physical archives), when considered together, provide improved context for understanding the ecologies and processes that are linked to the restoration and stewardship of fire-adapted communities. The panelists include Indigenous Knowledge holders and practitioners, and experts in tree-ring, sedimentary, and archeological fire history, who have collaboratively used fire history information to bridge cultures and knowledge systems. The discussion will use case studies in the Upper Great Lakes Region where a diverse set of partners wove these types of knowledge together to restore cultural fire to the benefit of globally-rare pine barrens communities.

66th Annual Forest Pest Management Forum
2023-11-28 07:30 - 2023-11-30 16:30 (America/New_York)
Register (by November 24th, 2023)
November 28 at 7:30 a.m. to November 30 at 4:30 p.m. ET
In-person at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown in Ottawa, Ontario and virtually via Zoom Hosted by the Canadian Institute of Forestry.
Lodging, sponsor, and contact information is all available on the full forum website
Agenda for download
Organized by Natural Resources Canada in support of the National Forest Pest Strategy, the Forum is the largest and most significant gathering of forest pest management experts, managers, and practitioners in Canada. The objectives are to share information on current and future forest health conditions, forest pest control operations, environmental issues, and the development of new technologies for forest health monitoring and management, as well as to discuss the latest research findings.

Federal policy on mature and old growth forests
2023-12-05 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Anchorage)
Register
December 5, 2023
12:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Presenters: Zander Evans and Rhiley Allbee, Forest Stewards Guild
On April 22, 2022, the Biden Administration issued Executive Order 14072, which directs the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of the Interior to define, inventory, identify threats towards, and develop policies to mitigate threats to, mature and old growth forests. Dr. Zander Evans will provide some background on what has happened since and the next steps in the process. The US Forest Service has produced an inventory of mature and old growth forests, and a threat assessment is nearly complete. The webinar will also include Rhiley Allbee’s analysis of mature and old growth in collaborative landscape restoration efforts.

Prescribed Fire for Forest Management: Fire in Northern Pine Systems
2023-12-06 09:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Register
December 6, 2023
6:30 am Pacific / 7:30 Mountain / 8:30 Central / 9:30 Eastern
1.5 hours
Brian Palik and Jed Meunier will be the presenters in this session of the year-long webinar series from the Wisconsin Forestry Center at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Dr. Palik will explore the ecological considerations of prescribed burning in Northern Pine Systems. John Schwingel, Wisconsin Fire Manager, The Nature Conservancy will moderate.

Maine Forest Climate Change Webinar & Field Tour Series: Long-term Watershed Research
2023-12-06 12:00 - 2023-12-08 13:30 (America/New_York)
Full series website
Dec 6, 2023
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Register for this webinar or entire series
Mike Howie, American Forest Management and Ivan Fernandez, University of Maine Professor of Soil Science. Long-term research: the intersection of science, recovery and climate; ecological implications from the past and current research that will help address climate concerns for the future.
Dec 8, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Bear Brook Watershed (Lead Mtn, nr Beddington)
Register for this field tour
Site is part of long-term research to determine the effects of acid deposition on surface waters and their related watersheds. BBWM program of research encompasses an array of scientific objectives that include acid deposition, climate change and carbon sequestration, nitrogen saturation, base cation depletion, and studies of the evolution of watershed biogeochemistry under prolonged experimental acidification.
Full Series Summary:
Science and Practice: Addressing Forest Climate Change in Maine
An Interactive Webinar Series for Stakeholders and the Interested Public
Join us as we dig into forest health concerns due to climate impacts at new sites around the state. Our panelists will address management & restoration efforts, relevance of long-term research, fire as a tool, biohabitat concerns, forest health threats, and unique adaptation strategies at each site.
Noontime webinars are free (registration required). $25 field tour registration includes lunch, snacks, and van transport. Each tour has limited space.

Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion Series: The Future is Smoky
2023-12-14 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Register
December 14, 2023
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CFE’s by the Society of American Foresters.
With increasing wildfire activity due to changes in climate, smoke will likely become more prevalent and continue to have an effect on society. Earlier this year, smoke from Canada wildfires lowered air quality in the eastern U.S. to its worst levels in recorded history. As the climate heats up and creates drier conditions, smoky skies will grow increasingly common. Health concerns and prescribed burning actions needed to restore functioning ecosystems will be impacted by already smoky conditions across the country. Panelists include research meteorologists, air quality experts, and fire practitioners. Together, they will explore how we can address and adapt to a smoky future.

Fire in Southern Pine Systems: Prescribed Fire for Forest Management ​Webinar Series
2024-01-03 08:30 - 10:00 (America/Chicago)
Registration and full series information
January 3, 2024
8:30 – 10 a.m. Central Time
Online via Zoom
Fire ​into the Future: Geospatial Technology to Identify and Categorize Fire in the Southeast
Join us as we explore the ecology of southern pines, the reintroduction of ​​fire into fire-adapted ecosystems, and the legacy of prescribed fire and how the “old” links with the “new” with burning in longleaf pine. Participants will discover the importance of the Tall Timbers Private Lands Fire Initiative and hear about​ the cutting edge technology of the Southeast fire map, which helps​ with both on the ground management and re​search.
Dr. Nowell’s talk will focus on detecting fires in the Southeast United States, and will include discussion of satellite detection difficulties, an overview of current products across this region, and future scientific improvements of satellite-based datasets to detect even more fire. In particular, discussion will focus on the Southeast FireMap product – a product that is based on the USGS Landsat Burned Area dataset, but is uniquely tailored to the Southeast US. Preliminary study results that illustrate the utility of using Southeast FireMap to answer scientific questions will also be shared.​
This webinar is part of the Wisconsin Forestry Center’s free webinar series that explores several facets of prescribed fire related to forests and forest management. They invited speakers to provide their perspectives and offer advice on how to advance prescribed fire as a forest management tool.

Give Me That Old Growth Religion: Understanding the Cultural Diversity of Forest Cultures
2024-01-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Register
Monday, January 8, 2024 (note change from original date)
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. ET
Zoom webinar (join information will be provided after registration)
1.5 Category 1 Continuing Forester Education Credits by SAF are pre-approved.
This is one of several in our Communicating Forestry webinar series, by Guild members.
In this seminar, interdisciplinary scholar and former forester Jason M. Brown will explore the ways that trees and forests have shaped myth, religion, and spirituality throughout history. In addition, he will discuss how the various cultures that form around trees and forests inform the ongoing conflicts over forestry and forest management. Discussion will explore how understanding these perspectives might contribute to better public dialogue and management processes.
Jason M. Brown is a Lecturer with the Department of Global Humanities and also teaches with the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. He grew up in California and studied anthropology as an undergraduate. He earned joint Masters degrees from Yale in forestry and theology. He writes at holyscapes.org.

Rooted in Research: Adapting to Extreme Weather Wild Cards - Adaptation Workbook
2024-01-10 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
Register for this or entire series
Wild Cards and the Adaptation Workbook – David Bengston (NRS) and Stephen Handler (NRS, NIACS, USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub)
January 10, 2024
10:30-11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Approved for 1 CFE credit through the Society of American Foresters and The Wildlife Society.

Full series summary:
Join the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, USDA Northeast and Northern Forests Climate Hubs, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) for this webinar series.
Between floods, severe storms, and wildfires, nearly everyone in North America has recently experienced an extreme weather event firsthand. Extreme events will become more commonplace as the climate continues to change. These events pose new challenges for forestry and natural resource management that may require new, adaptive ways of thinking to address them.
An introductory presentation on “Wild Cards” in natural resource planning and NIACS’s Adaptation Workbook will set the stage for this mini-series and provide context for the following sessions. Thereafter, we will explore three different types of extreme weather events, showcasing the latest research on these topics and discussing relevant management implications.

Rooted in Research: Adapting to Extreme Weather Wild Cards - Wildland Fire
2024-01-17 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
Register for this or entire series
Increased Incidence of Wildland Fire – Nicholas Skowronski (NRS) and Steven Miller (USDA Forest Service Eastern Region)
January 17, 2024
10:30-11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Approved for 1 CFE credit through the Society of American Foresters and The Wildlife Society.

Full series summary:
Join the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, USDA Northeast and Northern Forests Climate Hubs, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) for this webinar series.
Between floods, severe storms, and wildfires, nearly everyone in North America has recently experienced an extreme weather event firsthand. Extreme events will become more commonplace as the climate continues to change. These events pose new challenges for forestry and natural resource management that may require new, adaptive ways of thinking to address them.
An introductory presentation on “Wild Cards” in natural resource planning and NIACS’s Adaptation Workbook will set the stage for this mini-series and provide context for the following sessions. Thereafter, we will explore three different types of extreme weather events, showcasing the latest research on these topics and discussing relevant management implications.

Southeastern Guild Gathering: Oak Regeneration in Eastern Forests
2024-01-17 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Register to attend in-person in Asheville
Register to attend virtually over Zoom
Wednesday, January 17, 2023
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET
In person: 1577 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806 (follow signs to the training center).
Online: via zoom
Attendance either in-person or virtually is approved for 1 CFE credit from SAF.
Dr. Tara Keyser will explore the intricate ecology and sustainable management practices of upland oak forests. By detailing the vital role of these ecosystems, the audience will gain understanding of the factors influencing oak forest dynamics and sustainability. The presentation will highlight effective management strategies and foster a comprehensive understanding of upland oak forest conservation and resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
Agenda:

4:00 – 4:30 Welcome and introductions
4:30 – 5:30: Presentation
5:30 – 6:00: Q&A

Speaker bio: Tara Keyser is a Research Forester and Director of the Center for Forest Restoration and Management with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station in Asheville, NC. Tara received her BS in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MS and PhD in Forest Sciences from Colorado State University. Tara’s work is focused on advancing the sustainable management of upland oak ecosystems in the eastern US, with a focus on developing ecological forestry practices for the conservation of diversity and resiliency to changing to conditions.

Fueling Collaboration Panel Discussion Series: Phenology of Fire: Listening to the Plants and Animals
2024-01-18 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Register
January 18, 2024
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CFE’s by the Society of American Foresters.
Season of fire. Opening the burn window. Both of these focus on one of the elements that make up a fire regime – frequency, intensity/severity, extent/scale, and seasonality. Decades of spring-and/or autumn-centric fire can cause a site or landscape to respond very differently than when burned repeatedly across all flammable seasons. Summer burns can produce differing fire effects including increased species richness averages, biomass, and stem counts (especially forbs), and breaking up the plant species dominance resulting from dormant season burn windows. Our panelists will bring fresh voices to how we can learn from listening to our fire-dependent plants and animals and let the fire effects lead us toward desired outcomes.

Tribal Forestry: Understanding Current Issues and Challenges
2024-01-19 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Register for this series (attend what you can)
Thursdays from January 18 to April 25
12:00 – 12:55 p.m. Eastern Time
(Note: there will be no webinars on March 14 and 21)
The series is free and open to the public. Each session will be recorded and posted to the website. We will offer CEUs for foresters in attendance. More information is forthcoming.
Tribes and First Nations have been forest stewards since time immemorial on the land that is currently called North America. In the face of climate change, tribes and First Nations continue to work with institutions, NGOs, and federal and state agencies to support Indigenous sovereignty and resilient forested landscapes. This webinar will focus on the current state of tribal forest management and Indigenous stewardship with a series of speakers from different tribes, universities, non-profits, and agencies. Beginning with an introduction to tribal forestry and the trust responsibilities, topics will include the history of forest stewardship on tribal lands in North America, federal laws and tribal forestry, contemporary uses of plants and wildlife stewardship, fire, conclusions from the Indian Forest Management Assessment (IFMAT), tribal co-management, and the future of tribal forestry in the face of climate change.
The series is co-developed and co-hosted by The Forest School and the Yale Center for Environmental Justice at Yale School of the Environment, and Salish Kootenai College.

Rooted in Research: Adapting to Extreme Weather Wild Cards - Extreme Precipitation
2024-01-24 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
Register for this or entire series
Extreme Precipitation and Flooding – John Campbell (NRS) and Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne (NRS, University of Vermont)
January 24, 2024
10:30-11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Approved for 1 CFE credit through the Society of American Foresters and The Wildlife Society.

Full series summary:
Join the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, USDA Northeast and Northern Forests Climate Hubs, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) for this webinar series.
Between floods, severe storms, and wildfires, nearly everyone in North America has recently experienced an extreme weather event firsthand. Extreme events will become more commonplace as the climate continues to change. These events pose new challenges for forestry and natural resource management that may require new, adaptive ways of thinking to address them.
An introductory presentation on “Wild Cards” in natural resource planning and NIACS’s Adaptation Workbook will set the stage for this mini-series and provide context for the following sessions. Thereafter, we will explore three different types of extreme weather events, showcasing the latest research on these topics and discussing relevant management implications.

Keeping Forests as Forests – Incentive Programs for the North Carolina Landowner
2024-01-24 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Register
January 24, 2024
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Agenda
Join the Forest Stewards Guild for an evening learning about ways to keep forests as forests. We will be joined by experts on tax incentive programs, conservation easements, and carbon markets. Come prepared with questions about your land!
6:00-6:20 | Present-Use Valuation Program (NC State University Extension)
6:20-6:40 | Carbon Program for the Family Forest Owner (American Forest Foundation
6:40-7:00 | The Wildlife Conservation Land Program (NC Wildlife Resources Commission)
7:00 – 7:20 | Introduction to Conservation Easements (Working Lands Trust)
7:20 – 7:30 | Q&A
This program was made possible through support from WestRock.

Family forest landowner preferences for managing invasive species
2024-01-25 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Register
January 25, 2024
10:00 a.m. Pacific Time / 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time / 12:00 Noon Central Time / 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Presenter: Dr. Shady Atallah, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Family forest landowners own and manage much of the world’s forests, but we know little about their willingness to control biological invasions on their properties. Using a choice experiment, we find that landowners prefer mechanical methods and strongly oppose chemical methods when controlling the spread of an invasive shrub. Their choices are heterogeneously affected by ecosystem service outcomes resulting from control, namely timber production, trail recreation, and wildlife viewing. Landowners view their decision to control the invasive species on their land as a complement to the control by neighbors, offering further support for the areawide management of forest invasive species.

New Mexico Tribal Forest and Fire Summit
2024-01-30 07:30 - 2024-02-01 14:00 (America/Phoenix)
Register
January 30, 2024: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
January 31, 2024: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with optional social mixer until 7:30 p.m. (MT)
February 1, 2024: 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (MT)
Santa Ana Star Casino, 54 Jemez Canyon Dam Rd, Bernalillo, NM 87004
There are a limited number of rooms reserved for folks traveling from long-distances.
Agenda
Though the event is focused on New Mexico, you’ll find many of the topics are relevant across the Southwest.
Day 1: To equip tribal or tribal-affiliated natural resource managers and practitioners with an understanding of the burn planning process to work towards good and thorough surveying, burn plans, and implementation. Together we’ll learn about elements of prescribed fire planning, which parts of burn plans can be co-created, and BIA’s process for approving burn plans. We’ll share lessons learned from challenges and successes throughout.
Day 2: This workshop session will bring everyone together to share challenges, concerns and roadblocks that are affecting Tribal projects. We will break into small groups to discuss these obstacles and brainstorm ideas and solutions on how to overcome them. The expected outcome is to have a clearer idea on common challenges and obstacles affecting Tribal projects and how we can tackle these collectively.
Day 3: Field visits in Jemez Pueblo and Sandia Pueblo, New Mexico.
This event is sponsored by the Forest Stewards Guild, New Mexico Forestry Division, The Nature Conservancy, and Trees, Water & People.

Rooted in Research: Adapting to Extreme Weather Wild Cards - Ice Storms
2024-01-31 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
Register for this or entire series
Ice Storms in the Northeast – Lindsey Rustad (NRS, USDA Northeast Climate Hub) and Lloyd Irland (The Irland Group)
January 31, 2024
10:30-11:30 a.m. Eastern Time
Approved for 1 CFE credit through the Society of American Foresters and The Wildlife Society.
Full series summary:
Join the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, USDA Northeast and Northern Forests Climate Hubs, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) for this webinar series.
Between floods, severe storms, and wildfires, nearly everyone in North America has recently experienced an extreme weather event firsthand. Extreme events will become more commonplace as the climate continues to change. These events pose new challenges for forestry and natural resource management that may require new, adaptive ways of thinking to address them.
An introductory presentation on “Wild Cards” in natural resource planning and NIACS’s Adaptation Workbook will set the stage for this mini-series and provide context for the following sessions. Thereafter, we will explore three different types of extreme weather events, showcasing the latest research on these topics and discussing relevant management implications.

Prescribed Fire as a Restoration Tool for Savanna Communities: Rx Fire for Forest Management ​Series
2024-02-07 08:30 - 10:00 (America/Chicago)
Registration and full series information
February 7, 2024
8:30 – 10 a.m. Central Time
Online via Zoom
Join Jeb Barzen and Brendan Woodall as they discuss ​Restoring Savanna Communities in Wisconsin with Rx Fire at Ecologically Meaningful Scales
Jeb Barzen will focus on addressing the potential for restoring savanna communities in Wisconsin at ecologically meaningful scales through use of prescribed fire and through expanding social tools such as carbon credits or environmental labels. Most vegetative communities in Wisconsin, including a variety of savanna communities, are fire-dependent and the Wisconsin landscape is approximately 85% privately owned. A 10-fold increase in the implementation of prescribed fire is needed and our current capacity to implement those fires is limited by the number of trained people to burn safely and the incentives necessary to allow private landowners to deploy Rx fire sustainably over decades and across broad landscapes to achieve ecologically significant impacts. ​ ​​ ​​
Brendan Woodall will dive into the details on what he does as a Private Lands Biologist through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and discuss how fire is used as a restoration and management tool in savanna communities on private land. There are many barriers and limitations to actually being able to get fire on the ground safely, such as socially, financially, and logistically.
This webinar is part of the Wisconsin Forestry Center’s free webinar series that explores several facets of prescribed fire related to forests and forest management. They invited speakers to provide their perspectives and offer advice on how to advance prescribed fire as a forest management tool.

Successfully Bridging the Gap: Eastern US Models of Fire Science and Management Collaboration
2024-02-15 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Register
February 15, 2024
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. ET
Approved for 1.5 Category 1 CFE’s by the Society of American Foresters.
Land management programs are frequently confronted with the imperative of incorporating the most advanced scientific knowledge into their decision-making processes along with filling voids in research needed to move along effective management. Nevertheless, the persistent disparities between the realms of science and management often impede effective collaboration. In this panel, we will draw inspiration from successful case studies in the eastern United States, where land managers and scientists have forged pioneering partnerships, yielding tangible advancements in the field.

Mycorrhizal Fungi in Northeastern Forests webinar
2024-02-21 13:00 - 14:15 (America/New_York)
Register
February 21, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time
This event is hosted by University of Vermont Extension Forestry and is approved for 1.0 CFE credit through SAF.
Are you curious about the role of mycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems or want to know how mycorrhizal fungi could interact with silviculture? In this webinar, we will outline the foundations of the mycorrhizal-plant symbiosis and explore how mycorrhizal fungi affect forest diversity, regeneration, and soil functions. Lastly, we’ll showcase the current silviculture-related work from northeastern forests to set the stage of where we are in our understanding and which questions are left to answer.
About the speakers:
Dr. Amelia Fitch earned a PhD in 2023 from Dartmouth College in the Hicks Pries Lab where she studied mycorrhizal fungi in Northeastern forests. She earned her MS from the University of Cambridge studying boreal lake sediments, and BS from the University of Oregon studying tidal wetlands. Amelia is currently working at Oregon State University studying how silviculture can help working forests mimic traits of old growth forests that buffer the effects of climate change.
Eva Legge is a first year MS student at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF). Her research in Dr. Andrew Vander Yacht’s Applied Forest and Fire Ecology Lab and Dr. Christopher Fernandez’ Mycorrhizal Ecology Lab investigates how seedling-mycorrhizal symbioses are affected by different forest management practices, from prescribed fire to timber harvest. Eva earned a BA in Biology in 2023 from Dartmouth College, where she studied mycorrhizal-mediated forest management as a member of Dr. Caitlin Hicks Pries’ Soil Ecology Lab. Eva is an avid science communicator, a practice which was inspired by her science writer grandfather. She believes good communication is necessary for any scientific practice that strives to be wide-reaching and inclusive.
To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please call or email Ali Kosiba at 802-656-7631 or akosiba@uvm.edu by 2/6/24 so we may assist you. For more information on the event in general, contact Dr. Ali Kosiba (akosiba@uvm.edu).

Lunch and Learn: Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Report
2024-02-23 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Denver)
Register
Friday, February 23, 2024
12:00 – 1:30 Mountain Time (11:00 PT / 1:00 CT / 2:00 ET)
Event flyer/post
For decades, the wildland fire crisis has been growing. More severe catastrophic wildfires devastate communities and ecosystems and threaten lives and livelihoods across the country. In response, the federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission came together in 2021 to recommend improvements to how federal agencies manage wildfire across the landscape.
Join Neil Chapman, Wildland Fire Captain with the Flagstaff Fire Department and Commission member, as he discusses the process, outcomes, and next steps following publication of the commission’s report. Learn more and read the report, with its 148 final recommendations.

Communicating Forestry - Every Picture Tells A Story, Don't It?
2024-02-27 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Register
February 27, 2024
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. ET
Zoom webinar (join information will be provided after registration)
Webinar goals and objectives
Approved for 1.5 Category 1 Continuing Forester Education Credits by SAF.
This is part of our Communicating Forestry webinar series, led by Guild members. This one will be led by Roger Merchant.
Forest Photography is an effective medium for informing and conveying interpretive messages about our changing forests. Understanding how to photograph, frame and cut through the visual chaos inherent in many forests, requires an opening up of the visual and intellectual senses, heart and mind – important keys to creating human receptivity and connectivity to information and ideas about forests and forestry. As the classic rock n’ roll artist Rod Stewart from Scotland sang of this, “every picture tells a story, don’t it?

2024 Yankee SAF Annual Meeting
2024-03-01 09:30 - 14:45 (America/New_York)
Register
March 1, 2024
9:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time
The Publick House, Paige Hall
277 Main Street
Sturbridge, MA 01566
Event flyer and agenda for download
The 2024 Yankee Annual Meeting, includes a gourmet hot buffet lunch. The program will feature presentations on Massachusetts’s Forests as Climate Solutions Initiative, NRCS opportunities to advance implementation of climate-smart practices, and resiliency and equity in urban forestry.

Maine Forest Climate Change Webinar & Field Tour Series: Pests & Pathogens
2024-03-06 12:00 - 2024-03-08 13:30 (America/New_York)
This topic session has moved from it’s original May dates.
Full series website
March 6, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Register for this webinar or entire series
Restoration and sustainable forestry at GPMCT with Roger Greene, forest consultant to GPMCT. Beech management, forest defoliators, and disease threats with University of Maine Angela Mech and state entomologist Aaron Bergdahl.
March 8, 2024
9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust, East Orland.
Register for this field tour
5,000 acres of mountains, woods, and water managed for wildlife habitat, sustainable forestry, and community trails. 2023 Maine Outstanding Tree Farmer Award.
Full Series Summary:
Science and Practice: Addressing Forest Climate Change in Maine
An Interactive Webinar Series for Stakeholders and the Interested Public
Join us as we dig into forest health concerns due to climate impacts at new sites around the state. Our panelists will address management & restoration efforts, relevance of long-term research, fire as a tool, biohabitat concerns, forest health threats, and unique adaptation strategies at each site.
Noontime webinars are free (registration required). $25 field tour registration includes lunch, snacks, and van transport. Each tour has limited space.
