Winter 2023 Online Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Course – Southwest Region

Wednesday evenings starting January 25th

A forestry course for property owners

This southwest Washington course section is for people with properties in Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Skamania, Thurston, and Wahkiakum counties. There will be a separate concurrent section for the North Puget Sound area (Clallam, Island, Jefferson, Kitsap, King, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties).

Your Land. Your Trees. Your Goals.

Natural beauty, wildlife, ecosystem health, harvest income, family ties, privacy, and peace and quiet are some of the many reasons people value their forested property. Whatever your values and objectives are, this comprehensive, university-based forestry class will help you get the most out of the land you love. Whether you have just a few wooded acres or a larger forest tract, if you have trees on your property, this class is for you.

Topics covered include:

How do you know if your trees are healthy? What should you do if they aren’t?
Are characteristics of your property attracting or repelling the wildlife you enjoy? What can you do if wildlife cause damage?
Are there certain trees you should always keep or remove? How do you cut trees without damaging your land?
What types of trees do you have? Does your forest look like a “mess”?
How do you know if your trees need to be thinned, and how do you go about it?
How do you identify and mitigate fire risks?
Are invasive and noxious weeds taking over your underbrush? What are the risks and what can you do about it?
What kind of soil do you have and how does that affect what grows?
Can you successfully generate income from harvesting timber? How do you work with loggers?
How do you increase biodiversity and foster old growth type forest conditions??

Save money, too!

As part of this course we will “coach” you in the writing of your own simple forestry plan that may qualify you for property tax reductions or conservation cost-share grants.

When and Where

Dates and Times

Wednesday evening class sessions

The Wednesday evening class sessions will be 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. January 25 – March 22, 2023

Field Trip

There will be an in-person field trip from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Location

Online – These courses will be offered via live, interactive webinars. A high-speed internet connection is needed. You can access the webinars with your computer or mobile device. Access instructions will be provided prior to the class.

Cost and Registration

What’s Included:

Nine live webinars taught by the state’s recognized experts
A digital library of reference materials and how-to guides
A copy of the book Native Trees of Western Washington
A consultation site visit to your property from a state service forester

Cost: $150

Space is limited and is first-come, first-served. Online classes always sell out very early. No refunds within 30 days of the course start date. Eventbrite processing fees are non-refundable.

Registration [SOLD OUT]

If registering as a family from the same household/ownership, only do one registration for all of you–do not do separate registrations for individual family members.

The registration process includes required short questionnaire. If you have forested property, please make sure you have your property information ready before you start the registration process, including acreage and county parcel number(s).

Register online

Register online via Eventbrite. Online registrations are subject to a non-refundable credit card processing fee. Online registration will be open until 5:00 PM Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

Register by mail

Mail-in registrations must be received by 5:00 PM Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Send in the registration form along with a check made out to WSU Extension. This fillable PDF form is an accessible document. Fill it out on your computer and then print it out and mail it in with your check to:

WSU Extension Forestry
Attn: Coached Planning Registration
5722 Sleater Kinney Rd NE
Olympia, WA 98506

Note: to fill out the mail-in registration form, we recommend that you right-click the download button and select “Save link as” to save the PDF file, and then open it in Adobe Acrobat or the free Adobe Reader rather than viewing it within your web browser. The form functions do not work when viewed in a browser window.

Acknowledgements

This programming is made possible in part by funding from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Lewis County, Pacific County, the U.S. Forest Service, Western SARE, and the U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service.

Accommodations

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 Patrick Shults at patrick.shults@wsu.edu at least two weeks prior to the event.

Class Handouts

Visit the Online Coached Planning Handouts page to download copies of course handouts and presentation slides. A password will be provided in course to access this page.

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