March 2024 Newsletter

Wisconsin Forestry Center

Calendar of Events

March

March 1: SilviCast new episode, "Ash: A Lingering Hope," sponsored by The Nelson Paint Company, McCoy Construction & Forestry, and Family Forest Carbon Program

April

April 1: SilviCast new episode, Putting the B in BDq

April 3: Prescribed Fire for Forest Management webinar: Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Beyond the Lake States

April 6-7: Timber Harvester Simulators teacher training

April 13: Chainsaw Safety and Tree Felling teacher training

April 20-21: Portable Sawmill and Kiln Operation teacher training

May

May 1: Prescribed Fire for Forest Management webinar: Fire and Game Species

May 8: Forest Management for Neotropical Migratory Birds workshop

June

June 5: Prescribed Fire for Forest Management webinar: Prescribed Fire in Urban Landscapes

June 6: Agroforestry for Foresters Farm Tour

July

July 21-26: Forestry Skills Camp for high-schoolers

September

Sept. 25: Managing Forests for Maple Syrup workshop

WFCC Spotlight: 2024 a pivotal year for Forestry Careers Coalition

For the state-grant-funded Wisconsin Forestry Careers Coalition (WFCC), the three-year grant period (2022-2025) is halfway over, and 2024 will be a pivotal year.

This October, the WFCC's Forest Operations Immersion Training Program will be offered for the first time at Treehaven near Tomawhawk. In addition, the applied high school curriculum is being piloted in the classroom this spring and will be available to all teachers this fall.

Catch up on the latest developments in a recently released WFCC grant progress report. This report summarizes progress from July through December 2023 and next steps for the first half of 2024. This report highlights progress on:

Construction of educational training facilities at UW-Stevens Point and Northcentral Technical College.
Curriculum for high schools and immersion training programs being finalized.
Key steps toward achieving program sustainability.

Find the WFCC at these April events

You can find Wisconsin Forestry Center staff at the following events in April. They will be happy to talk with you about the Wisconsin Forestry Careers Coalition.

Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association Spring Celebration: Staff will have a booth at GLTPA's Spring Celebration on April 9 at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Mich.

Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers Annual Conference: The Wisconsin Forestry Center will be an exhibitor at the WSST Annual Conference on April 18 in La Crosse. Staff will offer a workshop for teachers called "Logs to Lumber," featuring training on a portable sawmill and how it could be used as part of curriculum.

WFC High School Program Manager Jared Schroeder will present a session titled "Forestry Curriculum in Action," with co-presenter Klint Hischke, a science teacher at Menominee Indian High School in Keshena who is piloting the curriculum this spring.

Explore the WFCC!

WFCC High School Program

Teachers: Register soon for free trainings to gain experience incorporating hands-on forestry skills and equipment into your classroom!

The Wisconsin Forestry Center is hosting Train-the-Teacher workshops the first three weekends in April. The workshops will prepare teachers to offer applied high school forestry curriculum as part of the Wisconsin Forestry Careers Coalition (WFCC).

Trainings will cover Ponsse timber harvester simulators, chainsaw safety and tree felling, and portable sawmill and kiln operation.

The trainings will be held at the UW-Stevens Point Treehaven field station near Tomahawk. Meals will be provided and lodging is available on-site. Attendees will stay in dorm rooms with bunk beds; however, all attendees will have a private sleeping room and bathroom. Bedding and towels will be provided. Training fees and room and board are free for teachers this year, thanks to the Wisconsin Workforce Innovation Grant awarded to the Wisconsin Forestry Center.

Forestry Skills Camp open to students

Forestry Skills Camp is a one-week experience designed for high school students completing their junior or senior year in 2024. It will be held July 21-26, 2024, at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, a UW-Stevens Point field station near Amherst Junction.

The Skills Camp will feature hands-on instruction in tree identification, chainsaw safety and tree felling, equipment operation, milling and drying, and log and lumber grading. This camp is designed to build real skills used in the forest industries and will provide 1 forestry credit at UWSP.

Juniors and seniors, apply for a camp scholarship by April 19!

Students will be asked to complete the following two short essays:

+ In 300 words or less, describe why you want to participate in the Forestry Skills Camp.

+ In 300 words or less, describe how you think the skills you will learn at the Skills Camp will be useful in your future career.

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance no later than May 1, 2024.

Apply for the Skills Camp!

Professional Workshops

Workshop Details

Forest Management for Neotropical Migratory Birds

In this workshop, we will focus on biology, habitat requirements, and tools to implement forest management that enhances habitat for neotropical migratory birds. By focusing on a handful of important species, we'll walk through their identification, habitat needs, and ideal silvicultural prescriptions. View the tentative agenda.

This workshop counts toward the Forest Management for Wildlife Certificate.

When: May 8, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Stevens Point and Plover, Portage County

Fee: $95, with lunch included.

Registration Deadline: May 1.

Continuing Education: This workshop has been approved for 4.0 Wisconsin SFI CEUs, 4.5 TWS Cat. 1 CEUs, and 6.0 Society of Ecological Restoration CECs. Pre-approval has been requested for CEUs through SAF and Wisconsin DNR Cooperating Foresters.

Workshop Details

Agroforestry for Foresters Farm Tour

Agroforestry is an emerging topic of interest for landowners across Wisconsin. This field day at the Savanna Institute's Spring Green campus will introduce foresters to agroforestry practices such as silvopasture, alley cropping, windbreaks, forested riparian buffers, and forest farming. We will tour demonstration sites and discuss ways foresters can engage in agroforestry planning, implementation, and management.

When: June 6, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Spring Green.

Fee: $25 or FREE for Wisconsin SAF members, with lunch included.

Registration Deadline: May 30.

Continuing Education: Pre-approval has been requested for CEUs through SAF, Wisconsin DNR Cooperating Foresters, and Wisconsin SFI.

Prescribed Fire for Forest Management Webinar Series

Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Beyond the Lake States

A free year-long webinar series on prescribed fire in forest management continues on April 3 at 8:30 a.m. CT. The next webinar is titled "Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Beyond the Lake States."

Join Dr. Serra J. Hoagland, Acting National Program Lead Tribal Research for the Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S. Forest Service, and Vern Northrup, retired fire operations specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa elder, to discuss "Fire and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Beyond the Lake States."

When: April 3 from 8:30-10 a.m. CT, with 12 total Wednesdays scheduled through October 2024.

Where: Online

Cost: Free! Registration required to get webinar link.

Continuing Education: Each webinar (whether viewed live or recorded) has been pre-approved for 1.0 Wisconsin DNR Cooperating Forester CEU, 1.0 SER CEU, and 1.5 SAF CFE.

Webinar sponsorships still available!

Join the growing list of organizations sponsoring Prescribed Fire for Forest Management! Don’t miss this opportunity to support the dissemination of prescribed fire best practices and research, while receiving the following benefits:

+ Direct access to a target audience of hundreds of natural resource professionals from around the world!

+ On-demand listening with continuing education approval for a more engaged audience.

Sponsor the Series!

SilviCast Podcast

Listen Now!

Ash: A Lingering Hope

How can we manage emerald ash borer (EAB) impacted stands and what can we do to help maintain ash trees as a component of our forests? On this episode of SilviCast we talk with two of North America's leading researchers working on EAB genetics and ecology, Dr. Kathleen Knight and Dr. Jennifer Koch of the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station.

DID YOU KNOW? You can earn continuing education credits just for listening to SilviCast.

Just listen to an episode, register for and complete a quiz, print your certificate of completion, and submit to the organization of your choice. If you have questions, please contact us.

This month's episode of SilviCast sponsored by:

Sponsor SilviCast!

Utility Vegetation Management (UVM)

Next offering of UVM program starts in April

The next offering of North American Electrical Systems, the first course in a comprehensive training program in UVM, will begin in April. Industry professionals will lead participants through the knowledge and skills needed to manage sustainable UVM program plans. This five-week course will provide the introductory knowledge necessary for moving through the remaining courses in the UVM certificate program.

Online Course Dates: April 1-May 12

Registration Deadline: March 25

Cost: $600

Course Details

On-Demand Credits

Looking for on-demand CEUs/CFEs?

We offer a variety of on-demand continuing education options, including short courses and SilviCast podcast episodes. They are pre-approved for SAF and WI-DNR Cooperating Forester credits. Click the icons to learn more and register.

Share 'A Day in the Life' to highlight your career

The WFC is seeking forestry professionals to work with us to create 90-second videos showing an authentic representation of a ‘day in your life’ as you go about your job duties.

The videos will be posted on the WFC's Facebook and Instagram to promote awareness of forestry jobs and foster workforce development.

Participate in the "Day in the Life" series!

Check out the WFC forestry jobs board

Looking for the next step in your forestry career or your next best hire? Check out the Wisconsin Forestry Center free forestry jobs board.

Job-seekers: Check out current full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions across all forestry sectors.

Employers: Get the word out about your job openings by sending them to the WFC.

Explore the Forestry Jobs Board!

Do you have workshop or training ideas that you want the WFC to explore?

Submit your Ideas!