Landowners invited to join forest stewardship

Forest Stewardship workshops for landowners and forest managers are scheduled this summer in Kalispell, Yellow Bay on Flathead Lake, and Condon.

 The three-day workshops are offered through the Montana State University Extension Forestry Program, which has assisted more than 3,100 participants in developing plans to care for their forests, according to Cindy Bertek, forest stewardship coordinator in Missoula.

Workshops will be held in Kalispell on July 21, 22 and 29; Yellow Bay on Aug. 18, 19 and 26 and Condon on Sept. 15, 16 and 23.

 ”Montana has 80,000 citizen landowners who own timbered property,” Bertek said. “The workshops help people set goals for their land and learn how to care for the land in sustainable ways.”

Taught by natural resource professionals, the workshop will help family forest owners identify their goals and forest’s potential to fulfill their objectives. They may want to make their forest more fire resilient, support wildlife, identify noxious weeds, plan for income through the sale of timber or development, or pass the land on to their children.

The course involves 24 hours of class and field time, plus a couple days of independent research and inventory by each landowner on their property.

Participants will learn how to use topographic maps and aerial photos, understand the ecology of their forest, inventory their resources, and understand environmental effects of stewardship decisions.

Interested forest owners can request an application and obtain information by calling the MSU Extension Forestry office at 406-243-2773 or visiting www.forestry.umt.edu/extensionforestry.