Pre-Convention Workshops

Growing Together:  Enhancing Connections between Women and Their Woods

Wednesday, October 3 • 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Women comprise a large and growing portion of US woodland owners. Although research indicates women show greater environmental concern than men, women are significantly less likely to participate in conservation and management activities on their land. Weaving together empirical research and practical experience, this highly interactive workshop highlights key strategies and resources for engaging women landowners in management and conservation activities and allows participants to explore how to develop outreach and programming that is inclusive of this underserved population of landowners. Workshop attendees will gain first-hand experience in collaborative learning and will see real examples of successful programming from the Oregon Women Owning Woodlands Network. All genders welcome.

NRCS Technical Service Provider Training Workshop

Wednesday, October 3 • 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and conservation partners are committed to providing technical and financial conservation service to customers more quickly and efficiently. Technical Service Providers (TSPs) are individuals, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, or public agencies outside of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that help farmers, ranchers, and woodland owners apply conservation practices on the land. These NRCS-certified professionals provide convenient access to technical services, quality work, and professional one-on-one technical assistance to landowners who participate in USDA conservation programs. The NRCS is interested in expanding the list of registered forestry and agroforestry TSPs who can: develop conservation plans including forest management plans; plan, design, and lay out forestry and agroforestry conservation practices; and check out and certify completed practices. Foresters and natural resource professionals interested in becoming an NRCS TSP should attend this session. Current TSPs are welcome to attend as a refresher.

If you plan to attend this workshop, contact [email protected] to receive instructions on how to create a Level 2 TechReg Account before Monday, October 1st.  All participants should bring a laptop and their TSP login information to the workshop.

American Tree Farm System Inspecting Forester Training Workshop

Wednesday, October 3 • 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Since 1941, the American Tree Farm System® (ATFS) has recognized the commitment of US family forest owners to protect wildlife habitat and watersheds, to conserve soil, and to provide recreation for their communities while producing wood. The ATFS Standards of Sustainability require that landowners develop a management plan based on strict environmental standards and implement the plan in a manner to protect the future productivity of the forest. Inspecting foresters provide the on-the-ground assurance that is essential for the integrity of the program by assessing that the standards are being met and recommending certification as appropriate. By completing this workshop, individuals will understand the role an Inspecting Forester plays to validate the work family forest owners are doing to keep their forests healthy and productive, and become a Qualified Inspecting Forester of ATFS (provided educational requirements are met).

Data Science for Forestry Applications

Wednesday, October 3 • 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm • $35

Back by popular demand! This hands-on workshop will showcase how data science can be used in forestry applications. Learn how to use open-source software (specifically R) to work quickly and efficiently with forestry data, with a focus on using large datasets such as FIA data. Take advantage of this workshop as a primer on data science techniques for forestry applications. This workshop is perfect for graduate students and professionals who want to learn more about how to use R and work with the data they have. It will be especially valuable to graduate students who are at an early stage in their programs or undergraduates planning to go on to graduate school.