Forest landowners attend stewardship workshop

Private forest land doesn’t come with an owner’s manual.

That’s why Cindy Bertek, the forest stewardship coordinator for the Montana State University Extension Field Office, is so passionate about educating forest landowners about management strategies and tools that promote forest health.

Bertek is one of the lead coordinators of the series of forest stewardship workshops offered by the extension office each summer. The program, now in its 20th year, includes workshops in five different locations around the state.

Each three-day workshop — which is funded by the federal Farm Bill and private donations — brings together forest experts, educators and landowners for a hands-on learning experience that helps each participant develop a management plan for his or her property.

“We start them off with the big picture and then bring it more close to home as we go along,” Bertek said. “Eventually, we bring it down to their specific property.”

Thirteen people — representing eight different properties — participated in the workshop held last week at the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station in Yellow Bay.

Most forest landowners enter the workshop with a basic idea of the goals they have for their property. Once they have identified their goals and objectives, forestry professionals teach them how to take an inventory of their forest, which helps them understand the ecology of their land.

“The main thing we focus on is, ‘How does your forest function?’” Bertek said. “Some of them want to manage for insects, some of them want to manage for fire. Whatever their goal is, in the end they will end up with a management plan that they write.”

After spending two days in the field at the site of the workshop, participants go back to their property and use their newly learned skills to take an inventory of their land and adjust their plans accordingly. They then return to the workshop for one more day, where they have the opportunity to get more advice and ask additional questions.

“They end up seeing it (their forest) with new eyes,” Bertek said. “They might walk through it every day, but after this, they see it differently.”

For Bigfork residents Bonnie and Bob Chrysler, the workshop offered an opportunity to explore management options for a parcel of land that was left untouched for decades.

“We have a few acres of woodland, and nothing has been done to it in 30 years, so we wanted to find out what our options were,” Bonnie said. “It (the workshop) is very interesting. Everybody has their own reasons for being here, and everybody’s land is a little different.”

Unlike many of their peers, the Chryslers do not wish to increase the number of wild animals on their property.

“We have an orchard, so we don’t really want to attract wildlife,” Bonnie said.

The Chryslers decided to attend the workshop after seeing an ad in the local newspaper.

In addition to local advertising, Bertek attracts participants by sending out targeted mailings to potential forest landowners.

According to Bertek, more than 2,000 landowners representing over one million acres of forest land have been through the workshop over the last two decades.

“We’d love to have more people go through,” Bertek said. “A lot of the people that go through the workshop say that every forest landowner should have to take this class.”

The fifth and final workshop of the year will be held Sept. 15-16 and 23 in Condon. There are still spots available in that class.

For more information or to find out how to register, contact the extension office at 243-2773.