SPOKANE, Wash. — Many foresters consider the forests of northeast Washington to be unhealthy. Periods of low precipitation and densely crowded forests have created tremendous competition among trees for survival, making them more susceptible to insects, disease and wildfire.
On Saturday, Aug. 14, Washington State University Extension in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources will present a workshop and field trip to help forest landowners assess the health of their forests. The Forest Health Field Day for Family Forest Landowners will be held Aug. 14 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Deer Park Library, 208 S. Forest Ave., in Deer Park, Wash.
The seminar will help you as a forest landowner learn how to determine if your forest is healthy, identify the symptoms and severity of insect and disease infestations, make logging work for your forest rather than against it, and about the risks if the trees are just left alone. The afternoon will be spent at field sites to discuss these topics “on the ground.”
Participants will be able to consult with recognized experts as well as receiving resource materials and tools for analyzing forest stand conditions.
Pre-registration is required and the workshop is limited to the first 50 people on a first-come, first-served basis. The registration fee is $20 per person, family, or ownership and includes all course materials.
Registration forms are available at WSU county Extension offices and online at http://ext.wsu.edu/forestry/. The registration deadline is Aug. 6.
For more information on workshop contact WSU Extension Forester Erik Sjoquist at 509-477-2175 or by email at erik.sjoquist@wsu.edu.
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