We have put together an informative series of presentations this winter for landowners and community members interested in managing and keeping track of forests and wildlife in their backyard. The series includes a demonstration of sustainable logging with oxen in January, a wildlife tracking workshop including a presentation on the Berkshire Wildlife Linkage corridor in February, and a presentation on the invasive insect Emerald Ash Borer in March.
At the Draft Animal Logging Demonstration & Sustainable Forestry Talk, licensed forester and 7th-generation oxen teamster Tom Jenkins will demonstrate sustainable forestry techniques using his team of oxen. Low-impact, sustainable forestry is gaining traction as an important way to manage forested land while maintaining the forest’s resiliency in the face of increasing forest stressors. The talk will cover the basics of creating forest management plans and tips for selecting foresters and loggers. This workshop will take place at a private residence in Westhampton from 10 am– 12 pm on Saturday January 14th. Foul weather date is January 28th. This workshop provides 2 category 1 CFE credits to licensed foresters.
On Saturday February 11th, we host the Berkshire Wildlife Linkages and Winter Tracking event. Laura Marx of The Nature Conservancy and coordinator of the Berkshire Wildlife Linkage partnership will talk about efforts to connect wildlife passageways through land conservation and road engineering as well as show slides of the results from the tracking study conducted in the hilltowns for this project. This brief indoor presentation will be followed by a 1.5 hour tracking workshop led by master trackers Jessica Applin and John Body. This workshop will take place from 10 am-12 pm, February 11th at the Bullitt Reservation in Ashfield. Foul weather date is February 18th.
Monday evening, March 13th, is our final event in the series, Preparing for the Emerald Ash Borer. MA Department of Agricultural Resources forest pest outreach coordinator Javier Marin will speak on the projected spread of the insect Emerald Ash Borer and how to detect and manage forests infected with the pest. He will be joined by Eversource senior arborist Calvin Layton, who will speak about the additional challenges of handling and felling ash trees infected with EAB. In addition to landowners and those curious about invasive insects, this talk will be helpful for conservation commissions and municipalities preparing for EAB. This workshop will take place from 6:30 – 8 pm, at Stanton Hall in Huntington. This workshop provides 1.5 category 1 CFE credits to licensed foresters.
The January and February workshop are $15 for non-members or $10 for Hilltown Land Trust or The Trustees of Reservations members. The March 13 presentation is free. All programs are free for children 13 and under.
Registration is required for January and February events. Event details and directions will be mailed upon registration. To register please contact Tamsin at hltlandsteward [at] thetrustees [dot] org (preferred) or 413-628-4485 ext. 4 and leave a message with your name, email address, phone number, and number of attendees.
