Forest Stewards Guild

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Monitoring - Working Woodlands Workshop
2020-02-08 09:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Karachi) | Forest Center, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Woodstock, VT
Please pre-register today! To register or learn more call (802) 457-3368 x 226, or use the e-mail/contact us button on the event page. Be sure to tell us how many are coming.
Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a destructive invasive insect that has already been detected in southern Vermont, including Windsor County. Join us for this 3 hour workshop to learn how to identify HWA-infested hemlocks and what landowners can do to detect and slow the spread of this insect pest. Jim Esden, forester with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, will begin the workshop with an indoor discussion, and then head outdoors to use state-wide surveying protocol to monitor the park’s hemlocks. All ages are welcome!
Please dress appropriately for outdoor activity, and bring a water bottle, snack and snowshoes if possible. Adult and children’s snowshoes are available if needed. Event will continue snow or shine! Co-sponsored by Vermont Coverts and the Vermont Woodlands Association.
This event is eligible for CFE credits from the Society of American Foresters and has been assigned 2.5 Category 1 credits.

Webinar - Lyme disease ecology
2020-02-07 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Webinar – Lyme disease ecology: Working to understand Lyme ecology in a newly emerging hot spot & implications for beyond
Register today!
Join us for a webinar by Dr. Elizabeth Gleim of Hollins University in Virginia investigating the ins and outs of the lyme’s disease front and how fire may play a role. This webinar is co-sponsored by our sister exchange, The Consortium for Appalachian Fire Managers and Scientists (CAFMS).

Webinar: Dead Wood and Forest Management
2020-01-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Listen to the recording!
Dr. Zander Evans will presented a summary of ten years of the Forest Stewards Guild’s scientific work and management guidance on dead wood (snags, large downed logs, coarse woody material, fine woody material) from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast. Dr. Evans described the habitat, soil, carbon, and other benefits of dead wood. He touched on guidance for retention of dead wood in a range of ecosystems. The second half was a facilitated discussion with participants about how to include dead wood in forest management operations.
Reference publications include:

Evans, A. M. (2016). Potential ecological consequences of forest biomass harvesting in California. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 35(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2015.1104254
Evans, A. M., Perschel, R. T., & Kittler, B. A. (2012). Overview of forest biomass harvesting guidelines. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 32(1–2), 89–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2011.651786
Evans, A. M., & Ducey, M. J. (2010). Carbon accounting and management of lying dead wood. Los Angeles, CA: Climate Action Reserve. Retrieved from http://www.climateactionreserve.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Carbon_Accounting_and_Management_of_Lying_Dead_Wood-Forest_White_Paper.pdf
Evans, A. M. (2011). Ecology of dead wood in the Southeast. Santa Fe, NM: Forest Guild. Retrieved from http://www.forestguild.org/publications/research/2011/ecology_of_dead_wood_SE.pdf

Strategies for increasing prescribed fire application on federal lands
2020-01-27 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
Register today!
Prescribed fire is an important management tool on federal lands that is not being applied at the necessary or desired levels. Since 2017, we have been investigating policy barriers and opportunities for increasing prescribed fire application on US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in the Western United States. In the first phase of our work, we found that lack of adequate capacity and funding were the most commonly cited barriers to increasing application of prescribed fire, and that successful approaches rely on collaborative forums and positions that allow for communication, problem-solving, and resource sharing among federal and state partners. In 2019, we completed case studies of locations using unique strategies to increase application of prescribed fire in complex land management contexts. In this talk, we will report on the primary themes from these case studies, highlighting specific examples of practice from different Forest Service and BLM units.
CFE Credits: 1.0 Cat 1

Third Sandy Mush Forest Restoration Coalition meeting and FIRST Restoration Gathering
2020-01-25 09:00 - 15:15 UTC | Sandy Mush Community Center, 19 School Road, Leicester, NC, 28748
Register today
Agenda to download
The Forest Stewards Guild is partnering with EcoForesters and the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) on a project in Sandy Mush to increase capacity for forest restoration activities. One particular focus of the project is increasing landowner access to resources for invasive plant control. As part of these efforts, we’ve created a community coalition to increase the communication, coordination, and success of forest restoration activities in Sandy Mush. Community members are directly involved as key members of the Coalition, to share stories about managing invasive species in their woods and help identify the best way to move forward with a plan of action.
The Coalition meetings
Even if you missed the first two meetings, the Coalition meetings are open to the public, and anyone who is interested in the topic of forest health in Sandy Mush is encouraged to attend.
At our first meeting in August, we worked with community members and stakeholders to shape the vision of the Coalition, define conservation goals in the community, and provide input on invasive plant prioritization mapping. At our second meeting in October, we we further established a Mission & Vision Statement, heard briefly about controlling invasive plants on your land, possible ways to receive funding through EQIP, and identified potential threats to our target goals.
The Restoration Gathering on January 25th will include educational sessions on forest stewardship and hands-on learning opportunities with local organizations such as the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District and MountainTrue.
Thank you to our partners at Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for the photos in this meeting announcement. This project is made possible in part by a grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership.

Assisted Migration webinar
2020-01-16 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Forest Adaptation Webinar Series (#2)
Listen to the recording!
Flyer of webinars in the series for download
NIACS and the Forest Stewards Guild are teaming up to offer a new webinar series focused on forests and climate change adaptation. The series will bring together scientists and managers to learn about and discuss emerging topics related to the effects of climate change on forest management, with a focus on forests in New England and New York.
Each session will first explore the latest scientific information from someone actively researching the issue, followed by an example of a real-world management project.
The second in the series is Assisted Migration and features Tony D’Amato, University of Vermont and Kevin Evans, Dartmouth College.
For more information on the entire webinar series in one place, visit NIACS’s webinar series page.

Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Annual Workshop
2019-12-17 07:30 - 2019-12-18 16:00 UTC | Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104
Register today!
Hosted by the USDA Forest Service Region 3, the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) Annual Workshop brings together CFRP grant recipients, their partners and other stakeholders to share their experiences and discuss accomplishments, challenges, and strategies to overcome barriers to the implementation of collaborative forest restoration projects. The workshop also provides an opportunity to explore ideas for future CFRP projects. CFRP grants can be used for forest restoration and small diameter tree utilization projects on or on any combination of federal, tribal, state, county and municipal and land grant lands in New Mexico. To be eligible, grant applicants must use a collaborative process that includes a diverse and balanced group of stakeholders and appropriate government representatives to design, implement and monitor their project.
The 2020 CFRP Request for Applications and the agenda for the December 17-18, 2019 Annual Workshop will be posted on the CFRP website in mid-November at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r3/cfrp.
Lodging – room block reservations expire on November 18, 2019
Rooms have been set aside on December 16th and 17th, 2019 at the rate of $96.00 plus taxes per night (single/double occupancy) at Hotel Albuquerque 1-866-505-7829. To receive the group rate, guests must state that they would like to be placed within the “US Forest Service” block of rooms, or they may refer to the Block Code 1912USFS. Below is a link for online bookings. The link may be used over the actual room block dates only and the date of arrival and departure should be selected.
USFS 1912USFS
Please note the reservation cut-off date will be: November 18, 2019. After this date, any remaining rooms within the block will be released into the hotel’s general inventory.
For more information on the 2020 Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Annual Workshop, please contact Ian Fox at 505-842-3425.

Forest Carbon Management and Climate Adaptation webinar
2019-12-11 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Forest Adaptation Webinar Series
Register now!
NIACS and the Forest Stewards Guild are teaming up to offer a new webinar series focused on forests and climate change adaptation. The series will bring together scientists and managers to learn about and discuss emerging topics related to the effects of climate change on forest management, with a focus on forests in New England and New York.
Each session will first explore the latest scientific information from someone actively researching the issue, followed by an example of a real-world management project.
The first in the series is Forest Carbon Management and Climate Adaptation and features Paul Catanzaro, UMass Amherst; Todd Ontl, NIACS; and Steve Hagenbuch, Audubon Vermont.
For more information on the entire webinar series in one place, visit NIACS’s webinar series page.

Find A Forester Directory webinar (for Professional members)
2019-12-10 10:30 - 11:30 (America/Chicago)
Register today!
The Guild’s Find-a-Forester Directory is a great tool for Professional members to spread the word about their services. However, our new directory is not being used to its full potential.
If you are a Professional member or Retired Professional member who would like to be listed with full ability to show up in relevant search results, please join this webinar to learn how to complete your directory listing. We will run through a couple of examples together and you’ll leave with the instructions for fixing up your own listing in no time! The webinar will be recorded and posted as well.

Bottomland Hardwood Learning Exchange
2019-11-06 11:00 - 2019-11-07 16:30 UTC | Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Headquarters, 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808
Registration closed ($25, dinner and snacks included)
Agenda to download
November 6: 11:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. with optional social and provided dinner from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
November 7 Field Tour: 8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
This event qualifies for 9 SAF CFE category 1 credits.
Meet day 1 at: the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Headquarters: 2000 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 (Joe L. Herring room).
Lodging: $100, on your own, first come, first served in a room block held at the Crowne Plaza. To make reservations, call 225-930-0130 or visit online at: www.crowneplaza.com/execcenterbtr. The group code is FSG.
Background
In November 2018, the Guild brought together experts from the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) and the Atlantic Coastal Plain (ACP) in Brunswick, GA to learn about the differences in forest management between these two geographies based on social, ecologic, and economic factors. This event welcomed over thirty individuals and led to broad connections and impact throughout the South. Learn more through our final report and story map.
Southeastern bottomland hardwood forests provision critically important, and highly valued, ecosystem services including biodiversity, flood protection, carbon storage, recreation, and clean/clear water. Land conversion, ditching, heavy bedding/furrowing, development, fragmentation, and narrowly‐focused forest management threaten their ability to sustain flows of such integral ecosystem services long‐term. Responsible forest management of bottomland forests can be done in ways that maintain or enhance their ecological integrity and stability, while simultaneously generating income and supplying wood products.
The event
This was our 2nd Bottomland Hardwood Learning Exchange in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries and The Nature Conservancy. The field-based learning exchange leveraged our previous efforts by bringing together forest landowners and resource professionals from across the South to understand wildlife forestry practices in the LMAV. An emphasis was placed on how robust forest product markets, low-impact harvesting equipment, and selection system silviculture can play an integral role in meeting wildlife habitat improvement goals for forest interior birds. We also focused on connecting family forest landowners to resources available to better steward their woodland. Through this event we hope to improve the management and conservation of bottomland forests across the South and illustrate opportunities to meet diverse social values. In 2020, the Guild will be working with our local partners to host a series of wildlife forestry workshops for private forest landowners and natural resource professionals in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana. More details are coming soon about this future work.
The event included a ½-day indoor session of presentations and discussions, followed by a full 1-day field tour to state and private lands. See the agenda linked above for details.

Webinar: Introducing the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative
2019-10-30 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Webinar
Thank you to all who joined the Guild as we hosted this webinar with our member Dr. Alexandra (Ali) Kosiba, Research Project Coordinator for the Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative and Staff Scientist for the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.
View the full recorded webinar
Download the presentation PDF
The Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative (FEMC; www.uvm.edu/femc) is a small office located in Burlington, Vermont, that supports a much larger network of cooperators across the greater New England and New York region. This unique relationship allows the FEMC to work across groups, including land managers, foresters, policy makers, researchers, non-profits, students, and others involved with monitoring forested ecosystems, from soil to water and wildlife to plants. Overall, the FEMC strives to improve information sharing and data discovery for better understanding of the region’s forests. To do this, we oversee a robust data archive, host an annual scientific conference, produce yearly condition reports, perform field monitoring, and build online data exploration and synthesis tools. In the last couple of years, we have produced more data-driven online tools and collections – like the Northeastern Forest Health Atlas, the DendroEcological Database, and the Northeastern Forest Fragmentation Network, among others. In this webinar, I’ll introduce you to the FEMC, showcase our online resources and data archive, describe our current projects, and illustrate how you can get involved with the FEMC.

Flights for Bats!
2019-10-24 08:00 - 2019-10-31 23:30 UTC
Event flyer to download
Please support this great Halloween themed event in Minnesota!
As you know, our local forest bat population is being decimated by an imported fungal disease called White Nose Syndrome. Bats are extremely important predators of insect pests that attack our forests!
These “Forest to Tap” craft breweries located in Minnesota’s north woods are stepping up to help save our forest bats. During International Bat Week October 24 – 31, a portion of the proceeds from each flight of beer sold will be donated to the Bat Conservation International, White Nose Syndrome research fund!
“Flights for Bats” is intended to raise awareness on this critical issue; and hopefully raise some money as well!
Guild member Mark Jacobs says it has been a great experience working on the “Forest to Tap” program with these community focused craft breweries in the Mississippi Headwaters. We encourage you to support them and this cause during Bat Week…
If you’re able to visit one of these fine establishments, ask for a flight for bats and/or tell your server that you appreciate their efforts for forest bats!
If you can’t visit please consider sending them a note or e-mail, as it’s important to let them know that those of us who care about the flora and fauna of our forests appreciate their efforts!

Northern White Cedar Field Tour
2019-10-04 08:00 - 16:00 UTC | Greensboro United Church Fellowship Hall, 165 E Craftsbury Road, Greensboro, VT
Register today!
Agenda for download
Morning coffee and light snacks provided. Please bring your own lunch, water, and snacks and dress for a field tour in the woods.
Co-sponsored by the Forest Stewards Guild and the Vermont Land Trust
Join us in Greensboro, Vermont for a day of exploration and learning about Northern White Cedar. Known as the tree of life, Northern White Cedar has a variety of uses from fence posts, shingles, and cabin logs, to fragrant and medicinal oil. We’ll discuss the ecological importance of cedar in our forest communities, and we’ll literally dig into the dirt to talk about cedar regeneration, ecology, and silvics.
Laura Kenefic, research forester with the U.S. Forest Service, and Jean-Claude Ruel, professor at Laval University, are co-authors on the Northern White Cedar Silvicultural Guide and will lead this field tour! We will tour through examples of northern white cedar recolonization in old fields, stands where cedar occurs as an associate species, and classic northern white cedar swamp. Liz Thompson and Dan Kilborn of the Vermont Land Trust and Ross Morgan, consulting forester and a founding member of the Forest Stewards Guild, will also lead group discussions about cedar ecology and management in the Vermont landscape. The content will be geared towards foresters and ecologists managing cedar communities, but all cedar enthusiasts are welcome!
This event has been assigned 5.5 Category 1 CFE credits by the Society of American Foresters .

Restoration Forestry Guild Gathering: Bottomlands, Bluffs, and Birds
2019-09-24 09:15 - 2019-09-25 16:30 UTC | University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, Student Union, Union Room 3310, 521 East Avenue N, LaCrosse, WI, 54601
Register today!

Student rate: $40
Speaker rate: $60
General rate: $70
Add a dinner guest for pizza: $15
Join us to discuss Restoration Forestry in the context of the Upper Mississippi and driftless bluff country of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The discussion on what restoration forestry is, and how it looks across the spectrum of forest types will be valuable for those working in other ecosystems too. We will look at Restoration Forestry as a theoretical approach and discuss its implications for forests, birds, and wildlife before drilling down into the nuts and bolts of silviculture and regeneration strategies. We will wrap all of these things together with a field tour of restoration forestry projects.
Food: Tuesday lunch on your own at student union, Tuesday pizza dinner and Wednesday box lunch included.
Lodging: A room block was held at Holiday Inn & Suites La Crosse – Downtown for $119/room until September 5. You are welcome to call there to see if any availability remains. Address is: 200 Pearl Street, La Crosse, WI 54602.

Call: 608-784-4444 or 1-800-HOLIDAY and mention the block name, UWL Meeting or
Book online at www.ihg.com and search for La Crosse WI.

Continuing education credits will be available from this meeting.

The Wildlife Society credit total is under review
Society of American Foresters credit total is under review
Wisconsin DNR Cooperating Forester credits = 11.

More information and full agenda with speaker list

Agenda summary:

Day 1
9:15 Registration at UW-La Crosse Student Union, room 3310 (521 East Avenue N, La Crosse, WI 54601)
9:30 Welcome
9:40 Restoration Forestry – Peter Bundy (President, Masconomo Forestry)
10:40 Upper Mississippi River Landscape Ecology – Nate DeJager and Molly Van Appledorn (Research Ecologists, USGS)
11:20 Defining Forest Restoration in the UMR/Driftless – Andy Meier (Forester, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
12:00 Lunch (on your own. Vendors are available in the student union)
12:40 Implications of Forest Restoration on Avian Communities – Eileen Kirsch (Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS)
1:20 Landscape-scale Bird Habitat Modeling Assessment – Nicole Michel (Senior Quantitative Ecologist, National Audubon Society)
2:00 Break
2:20 Adapting Silviculture for Restoration – Greg Edge and Brad Hutnik (Forest Ecologist / Silviculturist, WI DNR)
3:00 UMR Bottomland Forest Gap Mapping – Andrew Strassman, (Biologist, USGS)
3:40 Case Studies in Regeneration -Rebecca Montgomery (Professor, University of Minnesota)
4:20 Synthesis – Meredith Thomsen (Professor, University of Wisconsin La Crosse)
5:00 Adjourn
6:30 Social event at Pearl Street Brewery, 1401 St Andrew St, La Crosse, WI 54603 (dinner included, drinks on your own)

Day 2
8:30 a.m. Meet bus outside the La Crosse Center (300 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse, WI 54601)
8:45 Bus departs
9:10 Regeneration Challenges in Floodplain Forests – Goose Island (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
10:20 Bus departs
10:50 Restoration in Rush Creek State Natural Area (WI DNR)
12:00 Bus Departs
12:15 Lunch Break at Fish Farm Mounds (box lunches provided)
12:50 Bus Departs
1:00 Unrooted Cottonwood Cuttings, Whalen Tract/Winnebago Creek (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
2:30 Bus Departs
2:50 Direct Seeding, Root River Tract (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
4:10 Bus Departs
4:30 Return to La Crosse Center and adjourn

If you would like to sponsor this event, please contact Mike Lynch right away, and thank you!

Thank you to the Army Corps of Engineers for the photos in this event listing, and to our current sponsors!

Flat Rock Fire Workshop
2019-09-13 13:00 - 2019-09-14 16:30 UTC | W.H. Miner Institute, 586 Ridge Road, Chazy, NY
Claim your spot on the Saturday field trip – register today!
Event flyer
The North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, SUNY-Plattsburgh, and W.H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute are partnering to host a workshop on the 2018 wildfire and fire science research at Flat Rock State Forest in Altona, New York.
The Flat Rock workshop includes:

an afternoon fire science symposium,
an evening community panel discussion, and
a field trip (please pre-register for the Saturday field trip. Lunch is included).

The symposium will feature presentations and posters on the geology, fire history, and ongoing research in the jack pine forest ecosystem at Flat Rock. The evening panel will provide community members an opportunity to learn about the 2018 wildfire operations and the relationship between fire and the human communities nearby. The field trip will offer participants a boots-on-the-ground look at wildfire management and field research.
For more information, please visit the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange website.
There is no cost to attend any of these events, but we ask that you please pre-register for the field trip so that we can have an accurate count for lunches.

Forestry for Resiliency and Perpetuity in Chimacum - Guild Gathering
2019-09-13 12:00 - 17:00 UTC | Finnriver Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, WA
Register today (spaces are limited)!
Join us for a 1/2-day tour of two Chimacum Ridge properties, and an optional social gathering afterwards until 7 p.m. Some of the questions we’ll be considering during our tour:

Foresters manage and plan with a long-term perspective. But how can “forestry that is ecologically, economically, and socially responsible,” as in the Guild’s vision, be assured in perpetuity, in conditions that we cannot foresee now, even if or when, the property changes hands?
In managing a forest, how do we balance values and priorities that sometimes conflict as we work to maximize the ‘triple bottom line’?
What are some tools that can help make that balance financially viable?

We will tour two adjacent properties in the rain shadow of the Olympics: an 853-acre working forest protected in perpetuity by two conservation easements, and a 65-acre forest recently acquired by Jefferson Land Trust as a community forest. View some management approaches and challenges on the ground, and share with us other management possibilities that you see or have experience with too.
These two second-growth properties are undergoing management transition: one from planting and industrial clearcutting, and the other from natural regeneration with very little active management. In addition to Land Trust folks, we will be joined by local foresters and an economic development consultant, finishing up with an opportunity to socialize and experience tangential benefits of collaborative land protection: tasty local food and drink at Finnriver cidery from 5–7 p.m.
Jefferson Land Trust’s mission is “Helping the community preserve open space, working lands and habitat forever” and we’re celebrating our 30th anniversary. We’d like to share what we have learned in those years of protecting land in perpetuity, and we want to hear about your experiences as we continue to learn from each other– we’re all in this together!
Did you know that we have a local Quimper dragon? Come learn more…
Draft agenda

Climate Change and Adirondack Forests
2019-09-12 08:30 - 16:30 UTC | Adirondack Interpretive Center, 5922 State Route 28N, Newcomb, NY, 12852
Register by September 1 ($25)
Full agenda
Preparing for Climate Change
Forest and natural resource managers face the tremendous challenge of developing and implementing management actions that help ecosystems respond to climate change. This session will:

Provide information on the current and anticipated effects of climate change on the Adirondack region and its forests
Describe resources and tools that can be used to integrate climate change into management
Outline adaptation concepts and strategies in the context of sustainable forest management
Identify actions that enhance the ability of forests and other ecosystems to adapt to changing conditions
Highlight real-world examples of adaptation projects and engage in a variety of interactive activities to identify climate change issues and potential adaptation actions.

Adaptation in the Woods
This session will include an active, hands-on training held outdoors in the afternoon. Attendees will use the adaptation workbook to discuss actions for responding to climate change for a nearby forest.
Questions? Email Maria Janowiak at maria.janowiak@usda.gov
View partners, sponsors and more event information

Webinar: Is This Endgame for Beech Trees?
2019-08-28 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Webinar
Register today!
Title: Is This Endgame for Beech Trees? Tracking Symptom Expression, Chronological Spread and Mortality Caused by Beech Leaf.

Speaker: Dr. Constance Hausman, Plant and Restoration Ecologist, Cleveland Metroparks
The Natural Areas Association invites you free of charge to this webinar. Beech leaf disease (BLD) poses an apparent threat to the survival of American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) and the ecological health of the Eastern deciduous forests of North America. Affected trees exhibit symptoms including atypical leaf color and texture, reproductive abnormalities, canopy dieback, and mortality. The causal agent of BLD is as yet undetermined; however, given the rapid spread of BLD and variability in environmental conditions across its known geographic range,
scientists suspect a microbe, particularly a virus or phytoplasma. BLD was discovered in 2012 in northeast Ohio, and has since infected beech stands in Pennsylvania, Ontario, and New York. BLD may also impact forests globally; specimens of European (F. sylvatica) and Oriental (F. orientalis) beech in Ohio nurseries have exhibited BLD symptoms. Widespread and on-going detection efforts for BLD will aid researchers and forest managers in understanding and potentially limiting the impact of this emerging forest threat. Join us to hear the latest news on BLD, learn how to identify it, and understand how it may affect forests locally, regionally, and globally.

Guild Gathering in the Appalachian Mountain Club's Maine forestlands
2019-08-15 14:00 - 2019-08-16 16:00 UTC | AMC Gorman Chairback Lodge and Cabins, Chairback Road T7 R9, Greenville, ME, 04441
Register today!
Join us for a Guild Gathering, in the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine forestlands.
Full agenda
Thursday
We encourage you to check out a hike on your own in scenic Gulf Hagas during the day (or let Amanda know at amanda@forestguild.org if you’d like to gather with other forestry tour participants to hike this).
2:00 p.m. Meet at Gorman-Chairback Lodge
2:00 – 3:30 Compare two contrasting fish passage sites. Visit a nice hardwood site recently harvested to facilitate glad skiing.
4:30-5:30 Presentation by Dave Publicover and Steve Tatko on ecological management of AMC’s forests.
6:00 Dinner (provided if you are staying at the AMC Gorman-Chairback Lodge. Otherwise, you may bring your own and join us).
Friday
7:00 Breakfast (provided if you are staying at the AMC Gorman-Chairback Lodge. Otherwise, you may bring your own and join us or meet the rest of the group at Katahdin Ironworks).
8:00 Drive to Katahdin Ironworks checkpoint (Google location for Katahdin Ironworks State Historic Site).
9:00 Convene at Katahdin Ironworks checkpoint, gather all participants, head to Stop 1.
9:45 Stop 1 – Visit plantation, 1st entry thinning in a softwood stand as part of an uneven age conversion.
11:00 Stop 2 – Explore a past high-graded hardwood site currently running heavy to beech. Discuss management options and long-term objectives.
Noon – 1:00 Lunch stop at Caribou bog bridge. Discuss landscape-scale history. Explore settlement remains. (field lunch provided if you lodged at AMC Gorman-Chairback Lodge. Others please bring your own lunch.)
1:00 Stop 3 – Depart for active harvest off Caribou Pitt Rd. Discuss changing harvest history, including revisiting the slot harvesting method popularized in the early 2000s.
2:15 Stop 4 – Visit a fresh harvest in a hardwood to mixedwood transitional forest, some of which is a first entry for AMC.
3:15 Drive out to the Katahdin Ironworks checkpoint.
4:00 Optional tour of Katahdin Ironworks and charcoal ironworks.

Continuing education credits: This event has been assigned 5.0 Category 1 CFE credits by the Society of American Foresters.
Lodging info: Lodging is full. Please check directly with AMC for any last-minute openings at 603-466-2727, Mon-Sat, 9 am to 5 pm.
Travel info:
Gorman-Chairback Lodge is a 2.5-hour drive from Augusta, ME and a 1.5-hour drive from Bangor, ME. Limited spaces on this field tour are available for individuals participating Friday only. If you plan to attend only on Friday, breakfast and lunch are on your own, and there is no additional cost to register. If you plan to attend only the Friday field tour, please plan to meet the group at the Katahdin Ironworks Historic Site (KI gate) at 8:45 a.m.
Pickup trucks or four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended, as well as spare tires. During the Friday field tour, we will carpool from site to site, beginning and ending at the Katahdin Ironworks gate.
Thank you to Steve Tatko for the photos on this event page.

Creative Silviculture
2019-08-05 09:30 - 2019-08-06 11:30 UTC | Kemp Natural Resources Station, 9161 Kemp Rd, Woodruff, Wisconsin, 54568
Registration closed
Kemp Natural Resources Station (9161 Kemp Road, Woodruff, WI 54568)
We often refer to silviculture as the “art and science of growing healthy forests.” For this meeting the Forest Stewards Guild welcomes you to northern Wisconsin to discuss some of the creative ways people are stitching together the art with science to improve the stewardship of our forests.
View the full agenda
Registration covers venue costs and all meals; field tour transportation will be via carpooling.

Event: $55.00 (Monday box lunch and BBQ dinner, plus Tuesday morning pastries included)
Student: $25.00
Lodging Monday at Kemp: Add $50 – includes linens

Lodging is limited at Kemp Station, so we strongly encourage you to register early.
Please be aware that Kemp offers dormitory style lodging and private rooms are not available. If you would like private lodging, we encourage you to look into the wide variety of hotels in and around Minocqua – note however that this is peak tourism season in this area and availability may be limited. There are also a series of State Forest campgrounds in the vicinity; Clear Lake and Indian Mounds are the closest to Kemp Station (http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/StateForests/nhal/camping.html).
We added a ‘dinner guest’ option if you have someone traveling with you that will be enjoying Northwoods camping, fishing, sightseeing, etc during the meeting but would like to join for dinner.

Thank you to The Forestland Group for their financial assistance with this event. Please consider joining them in sponsoring this or other 2019 Guild Gatherings.
Continuing education credits will be available from this meeting.

Wisconsin Cooperating Forester: 8 hours
The Wildlife Society: 6 credits
Society of American Foresters credit total is under review.

Event Sponsors: Contact mike@forestguild.org to sponsor this or another Guild event!

Presentations in PDF (full list coming soon…)
Engaging Women Landowners in Discussions of Silviculture – Angela Gupta, University of Minnesota Extension
Silvicultural Decisions in an Age of Climate Change – Maria Janowiak, USDA Forest Service

Ash and Forestry Forum 2: Management within the Context of EAB
2019-07-10 08:00 - 15:00 UTC | 1958 Room, Sterling College, 16 Sterling Drive, Craftsbury Common, VT, 05827
Register today! Cost includes lunch.
This forum will offer a fresh approach to ash management in light of EAB. Our goal is to facilitate a discussion on the appropriate silvicultural responses to EAB in Vermont. We will look at the role of ash in our forests and how to manage for the forest, not the bug, but will also delve into the economic implications of ash management in the face of EAB. Guests from outside Vermont who have already dealt with managing ash stands as EAB moves through will be there to share their personal experiences and recommendations.
Sponsored by the Vermont Land Trust; Vermont Woodlands Association; Vermont Coverts; Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation; and the Forest Stewards Guild.

Forestry for Maine Birds Walk
2019-06-22 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Somerset County Cooperative Extension, 7 County Dr., Skowhegan, ME, 04976
Register today by contacting Jennifer Brockway, Somerset District Outreach Coordinator.
Location: Somerset County Cooperative Extension, 7 County Dr.Skowhegan, ME 04976
Join us for a morning woods walk that introduces Forestry for Maine Birds. This approach integrates bird conservation into forest management and planning. You will learn how to:

Improve habitat for priority forest birds and a variety of other wildlife species
Take care of your woodland
Work with other forest management goals
Enhance the value and enjoyment of Maine woodlands

This event is approved for 2.5 Category 1 CFE credits.
Co-hosted by Somerset County SWCD and Piscataquis County SWCD in partnership with Forest Stewards Guild, Maine Audubon, Maine Forest Service and Maine Woodland Owners – Upper Kennebec Valley Chapter.

Multiage Forestry Group Spring Field Tour
2019-06-13 13:00 - 2019-06-14 13:00 UTC | Camp Twenty Recreation Area, See agenda for address, California
Register by June 6!
Location: Meet at Camp Twenty Recreation Area on Highway 20, Fort Bragg, CA (see itinerary for details)
Hosted by UC Cooperative Extension
Event flyer to share with itinerary/agenda
Join this field tour of current research at Jackson Demonstration State Forest, and some time for discussion over dinner and drinks on June 13. The tour focuses on recent and on-going multiage redwood forestry research at CAL FIRE’s demonstration forest. Jackson Demonstration State forest silviculture experiments have been ongoing since 1960.
The long-term studies have answered fundamental questions about thinning. Both old and new studies have addressed questions relevant to uneven or multi- age silviculture in particular regeneration of new cohorts and stand density index as it relates to stocking.
Pascal Berrill, PhD, Professor of Forestry from the University of Maine and recently from Humboldt State University and Lynn Webb, Research Forester at JDSF will be leading the tour.

Stone Fence Farm Guild Gathering
2019-06-07 16:00 - 2019-06-08 16:00 UTC | Stone Fence Farm, Unity, New Hampshire
Registration closed. Did you miss the deadline? Contact Colleen@forestguild.org if you’d still like to register…there may be a few spots left!
We are getting very excited about this not-to-be-missed Forest Stewards Guild New England Guild Gathering! Hosts Jeremy Turner and Laura French welcome fellow Guild members and friends for a spectacular field event. Stone Fence Farm is a 300-acre working forest and farm in the heart of Guild country, a well-managed woodland in a landscape of continuous forest. Come learn in this “playground” and share your own forest wisdom on adaptive forest management!
Stone_Fence_Farm_Draft_Agenda

Ash and Forestry Forum: Management within the Context of EAB
2019-06-06 08:00 - 15:00 UTC | The Old Gray Barn, 1582 Vermont Route 30, Rupert, VT, 05768

Corvallis region Foresters for the Birds Demonstration at McDonald-Dunn Forest
2019-05-31 08:00 - 14:00 UTC | Near Oregon State University – address coming soon, Oregon
Register today!
This event is free of charge. Please bring your own lunch, snacks and water.
Address for our meeting place coming soon! The forest is 15 minutes from Oregon State University.
Join this event in McDonald-Dunn Forest, north of Corvallis, with Dr. Joan Hagar of the US Geological Survey (USGS). The McDonald-Dunn Research Forest is owned and managed by Oregon State University and consists of 11,000 acres of mostly forested lands at the junction of the Willamette Valley and the eastern foothills of the coast range. The forest features a variety of forest types and management themes (even-aged, two-storied, and uneven aged, as well as a number of stands of old growth) allow for side-by-side comparisons of forest management practices. The location provides a rare opportunity to contrast forest management approaches with an eye toward how avian communities use the resulting habitat features.
Agenda topics and discussion will include:

history of the McDonald Dunn forest and its management practices
the aims of the Foresters for the Birds program in the Pacific Northwest
identify approximately 20 focal bird species (by sight, sound, and habitat features)
run mist-nets to provide opportunities to see many of the bird species up close.

Over lunch, we’ll facilitate informal discussions and talk about how people can get involved in the program as it grows.
Logistics:
We will meet at one spot (address and directions coming soon) and walk or carpool to our field sites from there. When we have details about the specific field sites we will share them. It is possible that we will encounter uneven terrain, poison oak, and up to 1/4 mile of walking. We will share a short list of suggested items to bring, which may include a camp chair. Stay tuned!
Thank you to USGS and USFWS for the photos in this event promotion.

Society of American Foresters state meeting - Wisconsin
2019-05-22 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center, Stevens Point, WI
Save the date!
“Boards, Cords and Beyond: Managing Your Woods for Maximum Value.”
The Wisconsin Society of American Foresters State Meeting program will include quality speakers covering a variety of topics providing up to date information on markets affecting timber products and alternative forest-based products. More information on registration and agenda items will follow.

Learn and Burn - Controlled Burning for Wildlife Habitat, Sewanee
2019-04-06 08:30 - 16:00 UTC | University of the South Forest, Sewanee, Tennessee
Event Flyer_UOS_LearnBurn
The Forest Stewards Guild, Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and University of the South invite you to learn how to restore native habitat and promote wildlife species through the application of controlled fire in your woodland.
We welcome you….this event is intended for participants with no fire experience to moderate levels of experience.
The event will include presentations and a tour, including an opportunity to observe a demonstration prescribed burn. Detailed agenda coming soon.
Topics include:
Cost-share assistance programs
Other resources available to landowners
Shortleaf pine restoration
Woodland health benefits of prescribed burns
Wildlife habitat enhancement
Human safety during prescribed burns
Tools, techniques, and training
Please save the dates and tell your friends!
Download and share an event flyer, or for more information, contact Nick Biemiller.
Thank you to R.E. Evans and climate.audubon.org for photos used in this event promotion, and for our partners and event sponsors who help make all of this possible.
