Programs

Improving Your Woods: Starting a Forest Management Plan

Offered by the Southern Appalachian Woodland Network in Pennsylvania (SAWN-PA). With support from the South Mountain Partnership and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Intended for forest landowners, this workshop will provide information and guidance on how to develop a forest management plan for your woodland property. Having a forest management plan will help you to manage your woodland according to accepted best practices, helping to ensure the long-term health of your forest.

Nearly 60% of Pennsylvania is forest land, about 70% of which is owned privately. Most of this forest land is in parcels of 10 acres or less. In our local area, managing forest land is important as our region continues to be one of the fastest growing population areas of Pennsylvania. Sound management of small woodland properties will help to balance this rapid land development by preserving an important natural resource.

There are many things to consider when thinking about a forest management plan. Your plan will be shaped by and depend upon your specific goals, which may include timbering, enhancing wildlife habitat, creating walking trails, or simply enjoying the beauty of the forest. A sound forest management plan will go a long way in helping you to achieve your specific goals.

In the morning session, invited experts will present and discuss the core concepts of forest management and share their experiences in developing plans for a variety of woodland properties. Topics will include funding opportunities, when to hire a forestry consultant, and the specific features of a forest management plan. After a lunch break, participants will begin the process of developing their own forest management plans. Working in small groups under the guidance of the workshop facilitators, participants will create a forest management plan outline that includes the goals for their property as well as strategies needed to achieve these goals. Depending on the weather, a woodland walk will be incorporated into the workshop.

Participants will leave the workshop with the knowledge and skills needed to develop a forest management plan for their property. They will also engage with other woodland owners in our area.

Workshop Facilitators will include trained Pennsylvania Forest Stewards, Forester Consultants, and invited experts.

Workshop Price (includes coffee, drinks, and donuts, snacks. Participants are asked to bring a bag lunch)
SAWN-PA Member = $35
Join now to receive a discount and enjoy all the benefits of membership throughout the year! Membership is only $20/year. Visit the SAWN-PA website to join: Bit.ly/SAWN-PA

Non-Member = $45


This event is sponsored in part by a grant from the South Mountain Partnership, with management oversight of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. SAWN-PA is a proud partner of the South Mountain Partnership, an alliance of organizations working to preserve and enhance the cultural and natural assets of the South Mountain Landscape in Central Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Partnership, please visit www.southmountainpartnership.org