Weekly Topics

Weekly Topics

Week 1: Overview & Woodland Ecology

Topics covered: Course overview, expectations, why and how to identify trees, best recognizable features of 10 common northeastern trees, and resources on how to learn more trees.

Week 2: Woodlot Inventory

Topics covered: How soils, land history, and other factors influence what types of trees grow in what locations; how to select trees for a point sample

Week 3: Thinning Your woodlot

Topics covered: Defining good versus bad trees, how many trees should you have in the woods, estimating the volume and value of a tree, exploitive cutting, different strategies to select trees to retain or cut, chainsaw safety

Week 4: Maple Production & Firewood Production

Topics covered: Different strategies to obtain sap, the basics of how sap is made into syrup, what equipment and resources are necessary for syrup production. Firewood production may be a retail opportunity, or a way to offset on-farm costs for energy.

Week 5: Mushroom Production and Silvopasture

Topics covered: Exploring the opportunities and options for production and sale of gourmet mushrooms. Additionally, defining what is involved in silvopasture (woodland grazing) and the types of farms that should consider silvopature.

Week 6: Ownership Objectives and People Who Can Help

Topics include: Identifying how your woods can help your financial interests, people who can help and what they can do, resources to help you plan for the future.