Tom retired from a career in forestry at NYSDEC, and he has practiced his skills on their 180 acre property since the day he and Anna made their first woodland purchase. Join us for a walking tour of a special portion of their woodlands.

There will be an overview of past and ongoing management practices on this land, but the focus will be on an area where a timber harvest was conducted in 2023. Many valuable trees were left standing with crowns released to allow continued growth. We will see how the forest has regenerated in areas of past management, and in the most recent harvest area. Getting desirable vegetation species to return is always a challenge, so there will be examples of mitigation efforts to help create the next woodlot stand, one that is healthy and diverse.

Any disturbance to the woods creates opportunities for wildlife, and we will see examples of how critters are thriving as a result of the disturbance. The great flush of vegetation that comes in, responding to added sunlight, creates rich feeding grounds and physical protection for many wildlife species.

The trail leads through an old agricultural field now grown into a forest. Of interest is seeing which tree species naturally seeded in, and which of those are winning the competition to grow to maturity!

The terrain is nearly level and we will be walking on skid/tractor trails and some grassy fields. Sturdy shoes are recommended, and dress for the weather.

Please RSVP with Carol at happyinthehollow@gmail.com by Thursday September 25.

Sponsored by Capital District Chapter of NY Forest Owners Association, the event is free and open to the public.