EcoForesters, a non-profit professional forestry organization, is holding a free Forest Landowner Workshop in partnership with North Carolina Cooperative Extension-Burke County Center and the McDowell County Center, the NC Forest Service, and NRCS to inform landowners about opportunities to steward their forest. The workshop will be held on Saturday, April 22, 10 am to 1 pm, at the Burke County Agricultural Building, 130 Ammons Drive, Morganton. Lunch is included.
Attendees will learn how forests have become degraded over time and what can be done to restore them. In addition to presentations on forestry, landowners will be provided with access to professionals, maps of their forest, and learn of cost share funding in a casual setting. Subjects will include information about forest management resources, tax incentives for forest management, and how to enroll your forest in carbon markets. Funding for this workshop was made possible by the USFS Landscape Scale Restoration Grant and in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act.Helping Landowners Manage their Forests
Native forests in the Appalachian region have been impacted by clear-cuts, repeated high-grading, invasive species, and other unsustainable forestry practices. Since about 70% of WNC’s forests are owned by private landowners, providing easy access to education and resources plays an essential role in increasing the health and resiliency of our forests. EcoForesters aims to connect with landowners by connecting healthy forests to their values, allowing conservation and individual objectives to go hand in hand. This workshop will also provide professionals with the opportunity to learn from landowners and where they are struggling to manage their forests, which in turn informs future outreach and event planning.Preparing Communities for Threats to Local Forests
N.C. Cooperative Extension Centers have a rich history of disseminating scientific information and education to landowners. In that spirit, the Landowner Workshop: Forest Management 101 series was created to further support rural landowners and help them strengthen their forest legacy. Two workshops were held in Buncombe and Madison counties in 2022 and three more workshops are scheduled for 2023 in other counties.Educating landowners and rural communities about current and future threats will have a landscape impact on the future resiliency of our forests and the benefits they provide to local towns and businesses. These threats include damaging pests and diseases, destructive invasive plants, and fragmentation caused by parcelization of family lands. Additionally, the effects of climate change may encourage the spread of invasive plants and pests, threatening plant and animal biodiversity, further changing the ecological make-up of our region. This free workshop will provide landowners and communities with the knowledge and resources to improve forest health. This will assure natural benefits like clean water, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat remain on the landscape.
