2021 Online Washington Forest Owners’ Winter School
Online — Saturday February 27th — FREE!
Take time during the off-season for forestry education!
Is it time to sharpen the saw of your forestry knowledge?
Do you want to learn new things about enjoying and caring for your property? Do you want to learn things like why so many trees are dying and what to do; how to protect your property from wildfire; agroforestry and nontimber product opportunities; how to improve wildlife habitat; how to successfully plant and care for young trees; and much more? Do you want to participate in roundtables and discussion panels to get stories and tips from your fellow landowners? If so, this Winter School is for you!
Winter School is the classroom counterpart to our summer field days. Designed to let you attend multiple workshops all in the same day, the Winter School will help you address challenges on your property, restore healthy forest conditions, and achieve your goals. The event will feature thirty unique seminars, expert panels, and roundtable discussions specifically for people with forested property in Washington. There will be both Eastern and Western Washington sessions
Whether you are a novice to family forestry, or your family has owned land for many generations, there is something new for everyone to learn.
When and Where
The 2021 Online Winter School will take place from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Saturday, February 27th, 2021. Sessions will be taught via Zoom.
What you will need
If you do not have one already, you will need to sign up for a free Zoom account in order to participate in the course. You should also install the Zoom client by going to the Zoom download page. The top item, Zoom Client for Meetings, is what you will want if you are using a computer. Scroll down the page to see app options for phones and tablets. You should set up your Zoom account in advance of the Online Field Day itself. If you already have Zoom installed, make sure it is updated to the most current version. There will be opportunities to pre-test your connection before the Winter School (details will be provided after you register).
What to Expect
Live sessions
The Online Winter School will consist of five 50-minute sessions, during each of which you can pick from a variety of topics. You will be able to ask questions and interact with instructors and panelists via the chat box. There will be an hour-long break for lunch from 12:00PM to 1:00PM.
A final schedule, with Zoom links for each workshop, will be sent out a few days in advance of the event so you can plan which sessions you want to attend live.
Recordings
Can’t attend live on February 27th? Register anyway! Registered participants will receive links to the recordings of the sessions. This will also allow you to see all the sessions you are interested in, even if they’re scheduled for the same time slot–watch one live and catch the recordings of the others later.
Sessions Offered (provisional)
This is a draft list of the sessions you’ll be able to choose from. This list is subject to change and will be finalized closer to the date. More complete descriptions will be coming soon. Check our event page for updates.
- Forest health in Eastern Washington
- Forest health in Western Washington
- Forest soils.
- Growing shiitake mushrooms on logs
- Invasive forest weeds in Eastern Washington
- Invasive forest weeds in Western Washington
- Invasive forest insects
- Managing your forest in a changing climate
- Wildlife habitat
- Living with beavers
- Managing for big game
- Managing for songbirds
- Native pollinators in managed forest landscapes
- Silvopasture
- Native American uses of the land
- Nontimber forest products
- Managing red alder
- Advanced hardwood management
- Forest practices regulations – top five things landowners should know
- Tree planting and care in Eastern Washington
- Tree planting and care in Western Washington
- Wildfire protection in Eastern Washington
- Wildfire protection in Western Washington
- Landowner assistance programs
- Tree planting and care in Eastern Washington
- Working with consulting foresters (panel discussion)
- Current timber markets (panel discussion)
- Working with a land trust (panel discussion)
- Stories from the woods (landowner roundtable)
- Tips and tricks (landowner roundtable)
Cost and Registration
Cost — Free!
We know this is a difficult time financially for many people. Because of this, we have pulled together some additional funding to allow us to offer the Online Winter School for free.
This is a family-friendly event! Youth are encouraged to participate, so tune in with your next generation of forest stewards.
Pre-registration required
Register online before 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 26, 2021.
Acknowledgements and Accommodations
This program is made possible in part by funding support from Washington State University, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Island County and WSU Extension Island County, King Conservation District, King County, San Juan County, Skagit County, and the Snohomish Conservation District.
Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and special needs who contact Brendan Whyte at 425-357-6023 or brendan.whyte@wsu.edu at least two weeks prior to the event.