10/01/2009

Forest Mast, Wildlife Workshop Oct. 16 in NE Ohio

Writer:

Kurt Knebusch
knebusch.1@osu.edu
330-263-3776

Source:

Kathy Smith, Ohio Woodland Stewards Program
smith.81@osu.edu
614-688-3136

Marne Titchenell, Ohio Woodland Stewards Program
titchenell.4@osu.edu
614-292-2265

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Discover good food trees for wildlife and how to grow them in “Forest Food for Wildlife: Enhancing Mast Production,” a public workshop from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, in Ashtabula County.

Sponsored by Ohio State University Extension’s Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, the class will look at:

• nut-, seed- and berry-producing tree species, such as oaks, walnuts and hickories;

• the nutritional value of those foods — called “mast” — to wildlife, including deer, squirrels and wild turkeys;

• and ways to manage your woodlot — through thinning and removing undesirable species, for example — to produce more mast and attract more wildlife.

Wildlife specialist Marne Titchenell and forestry specialist Kathy Smith, both of OSU Extension, will teach it.

Titchenell said you’ll learn to grow “desirable trees that will provide valuable resources for wildlife for many years to come.”

It takes place at 4-H Camp Whitewood, 7893 S. Wiswell Rd., in Windsor.

Registration, due by Oct. 9, costs $35 and includes lunch and materials.

You can register and pay online at http://woodlandstewards.osu.edu.

Or you can register by mail by sending your name, address, telephone number (optional), e-mail address (optional) and payment to Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural Resources, 210 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Rd., Columbus, OH 43210. Make checks payable to The Ohio State University.

Call (614) 688-3421 or e-mail ohiowoods@osu.edu for more information.

The class will have both indoor and outdoor sessions, so dress for the weather.

The schedule:

• 9 a.m.: “Introduction to Wildlife Management.”

• 9:30 a.m: “Nuts, Seeds and Berries: Forest Food and What Eats It.”

• 11 a.m.: “Management Strategies for Enhancing Mast Production.”

• Noon: lunch.

• 12:45 p.m.: tree and mast identification walk (outside).

• 2:45 p.m.: wrap-up, evaluation.

Participants can qualify for five hours of continuing education credit under the Ohio Forest Tax Law program.

OSU Extension sponsors the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program in cooperation with the Ohio Division of Forestry to teach people about trees, forests, and how to know and manage them.

The program’s goals include helping landowners make well-informed forest-management decisions and, in the end, better health for Ohio’s forests.

OSU Extension (http://extension.osu.edu/) is the outreach arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

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