Women Landowner Summit

Given the lifespan of New Hampshire’s trees, a timber harvest may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a woodlot owner and it may be the culmination of years of hard work and substantial investment. Join us to learn the basics of timber sales, including the benefits of a timber harvest, how timber is sold, what a timber harvest might look like, and the factors you should consider before a timber harvest. We’ll share some success stories and some cautionary tales and offer suggestions for next steps and additional resources.

Presenters: 

Wendy Weisiger, Society for the Protection of NH Forests
Lindsay Watkins, UNH Cooperative Extension

Woodlots, large and small, can support our wildlife, protect water quality, generate firewood and other forest products, and provide for recreation and enjoyment. Whether you are interested in adding some native plants to your yard, enhancing habitat for birds, selling some timber, assessing the health of your trees, cutting trees for firewood, or just getting to know what is on your property this session can help you. We will be talking about identifying your goals, mapping and assessing the resources on your property, and prioritizing some activities to help you work toward your goals. We will help you identify what is important to you about your land and begin collecting information about what is currently there, and explore how your property fits into the broader landscape. We’ll provide resources to help you get started mapping your property, identifying actions you can take to help you meet your goals, and setting reasonable expectations. And we will also talk about resource professionals who can help you plan and implement actions on your property.

Presenters: 

Wendy Scribner, UNH Cooperative Extension
Cheri Birch, NH Timberland Owners Association

Whether it’s curiosity, a desire to learn more about wildlife and habitats, or the need to make informed management decisions, there are many reasons to learn more about your land and the wildlife using it. This session will provide an introduction to the methods you can use to inventory and monitor wildlife on properties of any size, including tips for how to observe nature and wildlife, guidance on how to map your property, and an overview of techniques used to survey for mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles, and amphibians. You’ll also learn about different options for keeping track of your data and ways to share the information with researchers.

Presenter: 

Haley Andreozzi,  UNH Cooperative Extension

Trees and shrubs can be trickier to identify in the winter without their leaves, but foliage is only the beginning when it comes to knowing the woody residents of your woods. We’ll practice using branching habits, bark, buds, and other clues to identify tree and shrub species. This workshop will be outdoors, so please dress accordingly, though we’ll adjust our plans to stay warm and dry if needed. Feel free to bring a hand lens, and any favorite field guides, though we’ll have some to share.

*Please note this workshop will take place outside and is limited to 30 people. 

Presenters:

Wendy Weisiger, Society for the Protection of NH Forests 
Lindsay Watkins, UNH Cooperative Extension

Identifying and interpreting wildlife track and sign can greatly expand your understanding of what species are using your land, and how wildlife respond to your habitat management activities. Join wildlife biologists from UNH Cooperative Extension as they guide you through fields, forests, and wetlands in search of winter wildlife tracks and signs. You’ll also learn how to use wildlife track and sign to interpret wildlife behavior and habitat use.

*Please note this workshop will take place outside and is limited to 15 people. 

Presenters:

Haley Andreozzi, UNH Cooperative Extension
Emma Tutein, UNH Cooperative Extension

Cutting firewood from your woodlot is one of the best ways to improve it for wildlife, tree health and current and future value. In this workshop we will go from principle to practice, learning which trees to cut and which to leave to best achieve your woodlot objectives. Part of the workshop will be out-of-doors and include an activity where workshop participants will mark trees themselves.

*Please note this workshop will take place outside and is limited to 25 people. 

Presenters:

Karen Bennett, NH Extension Forester, Emeritus
Wendy Scribner, UNH Cooperative Extension

Exploring the many ways pollinators & other good bugs use woody habitats

Conserving insect populations may inspire visions of pollinators buzzing about a forb-rich meadow, but is that the whole story? Similarly, conversations about forest insects often focus on damaging pests. However, insects are a highly diverse group of organisms that play complex ecological roles in an array of habitats. Not only does forest health rely on healthy insect communities, but forests are an essential and often undervalued habitat for insect conservation. Contrary to what many expect from pollinators, up to 1/3 of our wild bee species in the northeastern US prefer and rely on forest habitats. Beyond pollinators, forests provide habitat for decomposers, seed dispersers, natural enemies of crop pests, and other functional groups that play critical roles in the health of forests and adjacent habitats. Join Kass and Julie from the Xerces Society for an afternoon of case studies, discussion, and hands-on activities to get us thinking about forest insect diversity and forest health. Starting in the leaf litter and working up to the forest canopy, we will explore insects' roles in wooded habitats and how management practices can promote biodiversity.

*This workshop will take indoors.

Presenters:

Julie Michaelson, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Kass Urban-Mead, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Karen retired in 2019 after a 40-year career with UNH Cooperative Extension helping New Hampshire landowners and foresters care for their land, first as a County Forester and then as the State Extension Forester. She specialized in private lands management, providing education to landowners, land managers, conservation volunteers, and public decision-makers. She is currently the project manager for Good Forestry in the Granite State Recommended Voluntary Forest Management Practices for NH and was recently recognized by NH Audubon with the Tudor Richards award.

Program Director, NH Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA)
Cheri holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management and Parks and Recreation from the University of Maine, at Orono. Prior to joining NHTOA, she worked as a forester and environmental science teacher in southern New Hampshire. She is able to apply her forestry and teaching skills often in her current position organizing, scheduling, and facilitating logger training, landowner education, women’s programming, Forest Career Field Days, The Forests of NH Teacher Tours, and the Women in the Woods program.

Land Conservation Project Manager, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Leah Hart helps the Forest Society protect important natural features and landscapes across New Hampshire by managing land acquisition and conservation easement projects. Leah has worked for land conservation organizations in New Hampshire for about a decade. She lives in Lancaster and is focused on land protection in the northern half of the state.

Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society, NRCS RCPP Partner Biologist, Connecticut River Valley
Julie Michaelson is a Pollinator Conservation Planner with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. In this position, Julie collaborates with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the American Farmland Trust (AFT) to provide technical support, training, and conservation planning assistance to producers and land managers seeking to develop pollinator and beneficial insect habitat in the Connecticut River Valley. Before joining Xerces, Julie was an environmental steward with New York State Parks where she monitored and managed habitat for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly. Julie earned a Master's Degree in Entomology from Michigan State University, where she researched the role of landscape complexity and composition on the establishment success of a biological control agent and native parasitoid communities.

Natural Resources Field Specialist, UNH Cooperative Extension

Wendy Scribner serves as a field specialist in forestry and natural resources in Carroll County, and she is also known as the Carroll County Forester. Wendy provides landowners, communities, and others with assistance on managing their woodlots. Topics include enhancing wildlife habitat, improving forest and tree health, developing management plans, selling timber, and controlling invasive plants. Wendy is a licensed forester in both NH and Maine and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Forestry from UNH.

Community Conservation State Specialist, UNH Cooperative Extension
Emma has worked at UNH Extension for nearly 15 years in a variety of roles.  In her current role as Community Conservation State Specialist, Emma works with conservation professionals and volunteers to support their work in protecting New Hampshire’s natural resources.  With a background in Wildlife Ecology, she developed a passion for wildlife track and sign many years ago, and loves sharing this passion with others as a way to connect people with nature and build support for land and wildlife conservation.

Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society, NRCS Partner Biologist, Mid-Atlantic

Kass Urban-Mead is a Pollinator Conservation Planner and NRCS Partner Biologist who provides technical assistance on pollinator conservation using Farm Bill Programs in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region. As part of this work, she assists with planning, designing, installing, and managing habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Kass also works with staff and research partners to develop technical guidelines and provide training on pollinator conservation practices. Prior to joining Xerces, Kass completed doctoral work in the Cornell Entomology Department characterizing the wild bees active in early spring forests and forest canopies, and studied how the movement of bees between forests and orchards can support orchard pollination. She completed a masters in ecology at the Yale School of Forestry, and grew up raising 4-H dairy goats in the Hudson Valley, NY.

Natural Resources Field Specialist, UNH Cooperative Extension

Lindsay joined UNH Cooperative Extension as a Forest Resources Field Specialist (AKA County Forester) for Strafford and Belknap Counties in September 2021. Previously, she worked as a consulting forester and arborist in the San Juan Islands, Washington. She considers New Hampshire her chosen home state and prior to her detour to the upper left corner of the country, she worked for the Appalachian Mountain Club, the Nature Conservancy, and the US Forest Service. She has an M.S. from the Field Naturalist Program at the University of Vermont, and a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell.

Managing Forester, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

Wendy came to work for the Forest Society in 2004 as a forester. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of New Hampshire. She previously worked as a forestry technician for the NH Division of Forests and Lands and as a survey technician for an engineering firm. She is a New Hampshire Licensed Professional Forester and SIT. She has been active with The Society of American Foresters, NH Project Learning Tree, NH Tree Farm Committee, the Women in the Woods Program and many other forestry-related groups statewide.