April 2024 Newsletter

Last month five high school students explored the art of directional tree felling. The Wisconsin Forestry Center sponsored these students to learn alongside UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources students in Forestry 396: Science of Tree Felling, March 22-24 at Treehaven in Tomahawk.

The students' scholarships were made possible through generous support from the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, FISTA (Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-Division of Forestry.

These students were selected from a pool of 39 applicants from around the state to spend time in the field becoming familiar with chainsaws, face cuts, and how to safely fell a tree. The students earned 1 college credit and a professional certificate.

Spencer Jones of Albert Lea, Minn., said he enjoyed learning new cuts and using different saw brands. He recommends the course, telling other potential students to “keep your head up if you mess up, and to know you’re out there to learn and get better.”

Lilian Reck of Mondovi, Wis., enjoyed using a chainsaw in the field. She believes the skills she learned will be useful at home and in her future career.

Update your bookmarks: New WFC website launches

The Wisconsin Forestry Center recently launched a new website. The new site features streamlined navigation and a more visually appealing interface.

In addition to the same great resources as before, the website includes expanded details on the Wisconsin Forestry Careers Coalition workforce trainings and much more.

If you're having trouble finding something or have other feedback to help us continue improving the site, please contact us.

EXPLORE THE WFC WEBSITE

WISCONSIN FORESTRY CAREERS COALITION

High school juniors, seniors: Apply for free Forestry Skills Camp

Current high school juniors and seniors: Explore forestry careers and gain hands-on experience in tree ID, chainsaw operation, sawing and drying lumber, and mechanized timber harvesting simulators.

The Forestry Skills Camp is a one-week experience designed to build skills used in forest industries and will provide 1 forestry credit at UW-Stevens Point.

The camp, part of the Wisconsin Forestry Careers Coalition (WFCC), will be offered for the first time July 21-26, 2024. It will be hosted at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, a UW-Stevens Point field station near Amherst Junction.

Students completing their junior or senior year in spring 2024, apply for a camp scholarship by April 26. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance no later than May 1. A scholarship is required to attend the camp. Space is limited.

APPLY BY APRIL 26

FORESTER FIELD WORKSHOPS

Forest Management for Neotropical Migratory Birds

In this workshop we will focus on biology, habitat requirements, and tools to implement forest management that enhances habitat for neotropical migratory birds. By focusing on a handful of important species, we'll walk through their identification, habitat needs, and ideal silvicultural prescriptions. View the tentative workshop agenda.

This workshop counts toward the Forest Management for Wildlife Certificate.

When: May 8, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Stevens Point and Plover, Wis.

Fee: $95, with lunch included.

Registration Deadline: May 1.

Continuing Education: This workshop has been pre-approved for 6.5 Wisconsin DNR Cooperating Forester CEUs, 5.0 SAF Cat. 1 CFEs, 6.0 SER CECs, 4.5 TWS Cat. 1 CEUs, and 4.0 Wisconsin SFI CEUs.

Agroforestry for Foresters Farm Tour

Agroforestry is an emerging topic of interest for landowners across Wisconsin. This field day at the Savanna Institute's Spring Green campus will introduce foresters to agroforestry practices such as silvopasture, alley cropping, windbreaks, forested riparian buffers, and forest farming. We will tour demonstration sites and discuss ways foresters can engage in agroforestry planning, implementation, and management.

When: June 6, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Spring Green, Wis.

Fee: $25 or FREE for Wisconsin SAF members, with lunch included.

Registration Deadline: May 30.

Continuing Education: This workshop has been pre-approved for 6.5 SAF Cat. 1 CFEs and 6.0 Wisconsin DNR Cooperating Forester CEUs.

PRESCRIBED FIRE WEBINAR SERIES

Prescribed Fire and Game Species

A free year-long webinar series on prescribed fire for forest management continues on May 1 at 8:30 a.m. CT.

Join us for "Prescribed Fire and Game Species" presented by Benjamin Jones, president and CEO of Ruffed Grouse Society, and Marcus Lashley, assistant professor, UF DEER Lab, Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida. The talk will be moderated by Tommy Gunn, Great Lakes oak ecosystem forester at American Bird Conservancy.

We are grateful to Platinum Sponsor National Wild Turkey Federation and Silver Sponsor Ruffed Grouse Society for making this webinar series available for FREE!

When: May 1 from 8:30-10 a.m. central time.

Where: Online

Cost: Registration is free but required. Register once to access all sessions.

Continuing Education: CEUs and CFEs have been pre-approved. Please visit the website for more information.

Webinar sponsorships still available!

Join the growing list of organizations sponsoring Prescribed Fire for Forest Management! Don’t miss this opportunity to support the dissemination of prescribed fire best practices and research, while receiving the following benefits:

+ Direct access to a target audience of hundreds of natural resource professionals from around the world!

+ On-demand listening with continuing education approval for a more engaged audience.

SPONSOR THE SERIES

SILVICAST PODCAST

Putting the B in BDq

It’s not worth saying anything unless it’s worth taking a long time to say, to paraphrase Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings. Long-term silvicultural studies are surprisingly rare but extremely valuable. That is why a recent paper on six decades of selection cutting results got our attention. The Cutting Methods Study investigated cutting systems in second-growth northern hardwood stands on the Argonne Experimental Forest in northern Wisconsin. Join us on this episode of SilviCast as we explore the somewhat surprising results with Christel Kern, research forester with the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station.

LISTEN NOW

This month's episode of SilviCast sponsored by:

SPONSOR SILVICAST

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

The WFC offers a variety of on-demand continuing education options, including online on-demand courses and SilviCast podcast episodes. They are pre-approved for SAF and WI-DNR Cooperating Forester credits.

SILVICAST