Forestry Programs Scheduled for 2023 and How to Find Them

By Jeff Osborne, Forest Stewardship Program Associate

Forestry-related associations are filling their events calendars for 2023. With the wide variety of topics covered at various programs—from individual tree care to timber sale administration and from legacy planning to logging safety—there should be something of interest for just about everyone. Let’s cover some of the notable events, the organizations hosting them, and where to find more information.

Besides the James C. Finley Center for Private Forest’s biennial Forest Landowner Conference, the most heavily attended forestry event is the Pennsylvania Forestry Association’s annual Conservation Banquet. This year the banquet will be held March 4^th at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center in State College, PA. Activities, including many small drawings and raffles, a silent auction, a live auction, a buffet dinner, and a $10,000 draw down auction, start at 3:00 p.m. and may run until after 10:00 p.m. The silent and live auctions usually feature outstanding, one-of-a-kind hand-crafted wood products, such as walking sticks made to resemble rattlesnakes, benches, chairs, wooden neckties, painted carvings of birds, and many more. The Pennsylvania Forestry Association also has a full calendar of events, including an April tree planting ramble in Sproul State Forest, and a Fall Symposium. Their events can be viewed on their brand-new website: paforestry.org!

Another source for forestry fun and fellowship are woodland owner associations. Pennsylvania has a dozen active woodland owner groups across the state. Each association concentrates on one to four counties and has a wide variety of meeting activities, including birdhouse making, timber sale tours, herbicide use, and walks for Walk in Penn’s Woods. Many of the associations have their own up-to-date websites and/or Facebook pages. Their programs and membership information can be found there. To see if there is a woodland owners association near you, check the directory at the center’s website.

If you’re looking for forestry educational resources, check out Penn State Extension and The Sustainable Forestry Initiative. By searching “forestry” on Penn State Extension’s website, you will find nearly 400 results, including informative articles, videos, recorded and live webinars, past and future in-person workshops and training, and conferences. Penn State’s Forestry and Wildlife Extension Team is continually adding to the available articles, webinars, workshops, and conferences. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative concentrates on trainings designed to inform people engaged in actively managing forests on practices to maintain forest health and productivity, water quality, and safe timber harvest and trucking operations. They offer many trainings in the spring and fall. Their training calendar can be found on their website.

With all the upcoming events, as the colder weather breaks, there will be little excuse to not get out and see new places, meet new faces, and learn about the natural world and how we manage it. The best time to plant a tree may have been 60 years ago, but the best time to become more engaged and increase your knowledge is now.