Events

Over the course of three days, participants will develop core competencies in tree and shrub identification, explore the ecological processes that shape forest dynamics, and become familiar with a range of landowner goals and forest management approaches—from enhancing wildlife habitat to managing for timber or leaving land “forever wild.” Each module builds upon the last, ensuring participants leave with a well-rounded introduction to the science, values, and techniques behind responsible forest stewardship.

The Icebox Gravel is a 30-mile ride of mostly gravel roads. The Tour-de-Forest is a 13-mile ride with an even mix of gravel and paved roads.

The "New Beginnings" Field Tour will take foresters on a magical history tour of Northwest Connecticut's Highlands Forest. We will introduce the attendees to the history of the famous Salisbury Iron Works that ran smelting furnaces from colonial times into the beginning of the 20th Century, all fired by charcoal made from the forested hills and mountains surrounding the furnaces. Over a century later, our maturing oak and mixed hardwood forests are now providing timber and wood fuel once again to markets for local use and export. As the forest is harvested, adaptive management schemes must be applied to establish and grow the forests of the future, addressing the pressures of deer browsing, optimization of carbon sequestration, disease, noxious insects, and invasive plants.

Join us in honoring the forest as teacher and companion—an invitation to pause, notice, and grow alongside the changing seasons.

Learn the ancient bow drill method and take home your own kit!

Craft a holiday wreath that’s uniquely yours while enjoying hot cider simmering on the stove, tasty seasonal snacks, and plenty of laughter and conversation.

Join us in honoring the forest as teacher and companion—an invitation to pause, notice, and grow alongside the changing seasons.

Join us in honoring the forest as teacher and companion—an invitation to pause, notice, and grow alongside the changing seasons.