Forestry webinar series starts in October

LEXINGTON, Ky., (Sep 16, 2009)

University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service will offer a forestry webinar series from Oct. 13 to Dec. 8. The series is designed for woodland owners, farmers and others interested in woodland, timber and wildlife topics.

This webinar series is not the first forestry program conducted over the Internet by UK Forestry extension specialists. A previous series this spring garnered great feedback from participants across the state; 91 percent of the attendees at that series gave the webinar series a "good" to "excellent" rating and 99 percent indicated that they would use some of the knowledge gained to better manage their property.

"Through the use of this Web-based technology, we are able to deliver educational programs across the state to landowners who may otherwise have to drive significant distances to receive the information," said Billy Thomas, UK extension forester and one of the coordinators of the webinar series.

Sessions in the upcoming seven-part series will convene at various county extension offices from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, with each site connected to the other sites through a Web-based conferencing system. The technology allows participants at each site to ask questions of the presenters.

Series topics include:

Tree Identification, Oct. 13 -- Presenter Doug McLaren, extension specialist in forestry, will discuss methods for identifying the more than 120 native trees in Kentucky, 50 of which are commercially important. The session will take place at Cooperative Extension offices in Henry, Knott, Lyon, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Rowan, Trimble and Wayne counties.

Wood Identification, Oct. 27 -- Terry Conners, associate extension professor in wood products, will teach the basics of wood structure and show how to identify more than a dozen of the most common types of wood. The session will take place at extension offices in Lyon, Monroe, Morgan, Rowan, Trimble and Wayne counties.

Timber: Harvesting, Sales, Trespass and More, Nov. 10 -- Hardwood Silviculture and Forest Operations Professor Jeff Stringer will lead a session on getting the most from timber harvesting operations and how to protect against timber trespass and theft. Extension offices in Breathitt, Estill, Harlan, Henry, Knott, Lyon, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Perry, Rowan, Trimble and Wayne counties will host the session.

Wildlife Management for Woodland Owners, Nov. 17 -- UK Extension Wildlife Specialist Tom Barnes will conduct a session on wildlife habitat requirements, woodland carrying capacity, habitat management tools and sources of assistance for private landowners.  Host counties include Breathitt, Estill, Henry, Kenton, Knott, Lyon, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Perry, Rowan, Trimble and Wayne.

Invasive Species Identification and Control Techniques, Nov. 24 -- Stringer will lead the class in learning how to identify and control a variety of invasive plant species. Counties hosting the event include Estill, Harlan, Lyon, Morgan, Trimble and Wayne.

Non-Timber Forest Products, Dec. 1 -- UK Extension Professor Deborah Hill will teach a class on non-timber forest products including mushrooms, Christmas trees, craft materials and bees among others. Host counties include Estill, Knott, Lyon, Morgan, Ohio, Perry, Rowan, Trimble and Wayne.

Getting the Most from your Woodlands: What you can do and who can help! Dec. 8 -- Thomas will cover a variety of management options available to Kentucky woodland owners, the organizations and agencies that can provide assistance, including cost-share dollars. This session should be beneficial to both new and experienced woodland owners. Host counties include Harlan, Lyon, Knott, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Perry, Rowan, Trimble and Wayne.

Lyon, Morgan, Trimble and Wayne counties will offer the entire series. Interested participants may register through participating county extension offices for the entire series or individual webinars. More information is available online at http://www.ca.uky.edu/forestryextension/fallwebinars.php or by contacting a participating county office or Billy Thomas at 859-257-9153 or billy.thomas@uky.edu.

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Editor: Carol Spence, 859-257-8324

UK College of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension to enhance the lives of Kentuckians.

 

Contact: Billy Thomas, 859-257-9153

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