body

Adults and teens interested in learning to manage their own woodlot – and willing to volunteer a few hours in the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands – are invited to attend Wildlands Forestry 101: Building the New Forest, a free, short course in basic forestry. Taught by local forester Roger Greene, the 4-week course will be held Mondays, 9 am to 3:30 pm, July 16, 23, 30 and August 6. The course will include an hour or so of formal instruction at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery each morning, followed by a “lab” in the Wildlands where activities such as thinning will be demonstrated and practiced.

Participants will learn species identification, stages of forest development, taking measurements, selection of trees to favor in various silvicultural treatments, planning for permanent woodlot access, and more. The course will cover both the “big picture” and “tree-level” approach to management, using the Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust’s 4,500 acres as a laboratory. Participants will leave acquainted with multiple aspects of forest management, leading to a better understanding of practical principles that can be applied on one’s own woodland.

“Graduates” of the program will be invited to help with such projects as selection and thinning of Wildlands Christmas tree production areas, or working with students who’ve been assigned an acre for a classroom project this fall.

The course is free, but you must pre-register with Greene at 567-3458 or rgreene@masonbruce.com. Students must bring lunch, sturdy boots, bug protection and a pad and pencil.

Roger H. Greene is a licensed, consulting forester specializing in Forest Mensuration and Biometrics; Silviculture; Remote Sensing and Forest Planning. In his 40-year career, Mr. Greene has supplied forest management advice and counsel for public agencies, industrial, financial and private landowners all over the US. He is the author of 22 scientific publications. He has held positions in management operations, forestry research and was formerly Chief Forester for the Northern Timberlands Division of St. Regis Corp. When he’s not in the Wildlands, he is silviculturist and business developer for Mason, Bruce & Girard in the eastern US from his homebase in Stockton Springs.