Woodland Owner's Shortcourse

Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District and the Camden Public Library, together with the Maine Forest Service, will be hosting a workshop entitled "A Woodland Owner's Shortcourse" on Saturday, November 7. Landowners and others interested in learning more about taking care of or managing woodlands are invited to attend.

The workshop presenter will be Morten Moesswilde, Midcoast District Forester for Maine Forest Service.

This introductory "shortcourse" will highlight basic elements of successful woodland stewardship and point landowners toward the resources to achieve them. It will address developing landowner goals, basic woodland ecology & assessment, essential administrative/ planning decisions, and key elements of a successful timber harvest.

The goal is to make woodland owners, and others who work with woodland owners in different capacities, more familiar with the basics of forest stewardship.

The course will include information on the steps in forest stewardship planning for the long-term, as well as an overview of timber harvesting. "I don't assume that all landowners will have a specific interest in timber management" Moesswilde says. "I include information about it in this course because, in my experience, the principles of timber harvesting apply equally for very different kinds of projects – everything from thinning an acre or less, to larger-scale harvesting. And cutting trees can aim at a variety of goals, everything from wildlife habitat to aesthetics to producing income. Either way, it's important to understand the process."

The course will take place on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (includes ½ hour lunch break—bring your own), in the Jean Picker Room at the Camden Public Library, 55 Main Street in Camden. There is no fee for the course. Please register in advance by November 4 so that we can have adequate materials on hand. To register for this event or for more information, please contact Rebecca Jacobs at 273-2005 x 101 or send an email Rebecca.jacobs@me.nacdnet.net