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Forestry

Program Contact: Patrick Shults, WSU Extension Forester, SW Washington
360-740-1213 • patrick.shults@wsu.edu

Southwest Region

Serving Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Thurston, and Wahkiakum Counties

What is Forestry Extension?

Forestry extension consists of expert staff and faculty who are dedicated to assisting landowners with the complex and rewarding task of forest stewardship.  Our goal is to encourage and support small forest owners as they manage their properties towards their own goals.  Whether your mission be enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, growing timber, improving recreation opportunities, or any number of creative goals, we offer up-to-date information backed by scientific research and access to a community of resources to help you make it happen.  This local unit covers southwest Washington counties and provides a variety of classes, workshops, and seminars, as well as occasional on-site assistance.

Classes and Events

We offer a variety of workshops, field days, and classroom sessions covering all things related to small forest management.  Stay tuned for programs in your area by checking the website, following us on Facebook, or signing up for our emails.  You can also contact us directly for questions about current classes and to make suggestions for future programs.

Family Forest Field Day

This “out-in-the-woods” learning opportunity is an annual event that attracts professionals from around the state to teach landowners about forest management in a hands-on setting.  Multiple sessions are offered throughout the day, allowing you to pick the topics that interest you most.  It also provides an opportunity to network with local organizations, professionals, and other landowners who can offer you advice and assistance for your forest projects.

Forest Stewardship Coached Planning

Forest Stewardship Coached Planning is the flagship course for small landowners and is put on in partnership by WSU Forestry Extension and the WDNR.  Topics covered include silviculture, ecology, harvesting, thinning, wildlife, special forest products mapping, soils, and much more.  Through this series of classes, landowners are “coached” through the process of writing a forest management plan for their property based on their own management objectives.  Your management plan is a key to accessing resources for small forest landowners in this area, such as reduced property taxes, cost-share assistance programs, and becoming a certified stewardship forest.

Keep an Eye on Us!

Check out the Extension Forestry – Southwest YouTube channel to watch videos, recorded webinars, and other clips on forestry topics.

Like WSU SW Forestry Extension on Facebook

Sign up for the SW-WA Forestry Extension email list to receive announcements for classes and events in your area.

Subscribe to Forest Stewardship Notes, a statewide, quarterly online newsletter full of information for small forest landowners.

The Forest Overstory Podcast is a series dedicated to unraveling forest management topics that impact small forest landowners by interviewing forest land managers, researchers, and fellow private forest owners around Washington. Listen on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or Stitcher.