Working on Your Woodlot: Extravaganza in the Woods

July 17 event promises something for every forest landowner

Do you own a piece of New Hampshire forestland? More than 80,000 people do. These private landowners bear a large responsibility. They serve as stewards of our clean water, fresh air, beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, and our natural and cultural heritage. Their land provides raw materials for our forest industries and opportunities for recreation that draw people to visit, live and work in New Hampshire.

Of course, these woodlands also return many rewards to their owners. As with most precious things, the more you pay attention and work at caring for your land, the greater those rewards.

Fortunately, in New Hampshire you don’t have to go it alone. Working on Your Woodlot, an action-filled day scheduled for July 17 at the Strafford County Complex in Dover, will provide you with practical hands-on information and connect you with others who can help you make the best use of your piece of the New Hampshire’s forests. Whether you own one or 100 acres, the day has something for you.

Workshops, demos, exhibits

“In the forest” workshops include identifying trees and shrubs, selecting trees for timber and firewood, safely using and maintaining chainsaws, managing riparian forests and fields for wildlife, using GPS, and locating and building access roads. Continuous live forestry operations will demonstrate moving logs and firewood with small equipment, sawing logs into boards, and making stove-length firewood with a small processor. You’ll also have plenty of time to look at equipment and exhibits from conservation organizations and talk with other landowners, foresters, and loggers.

We’ve assembled a photo gallery to give you a sense of the woodlot management activities you may see and hear about if you attend Working on Your Woodlot.

Details

State Forester Phil Bryce, Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Taylor, and the Strafford County Commissioners will open the event at 9 AM. Activities will run until 3:30.

Come dressed for the weather, as the event will go on rain or shine. Remember your bug dope!

If you have special needs in order to participate in this program, please contact us two weeks in advance of the program date, informing us of your need to allow us time to make the necessary arrangements. The event is free and food will be available for purchase. Please pre-register by calling 603-431-6774, by Friday, July 16.

The day is co-sponsored by UNH Cooperative Extension in Strafford and Rockingham Counties, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands, the Urban Forestry Center, and the N.H. Timberland Owners Association.

Karen Bennett, Extension Professor and Specialist, Forest Resources

Posted March 10, 2006