NAFSE Workshop - Fire in Oak: Regional Differences, Local Applicability 

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn from managers and scientists about Fire and Oak issues in the North Atlantic region. How does our region differ from other oak habitats? How is it the same? What is the latest research on the topic and how can it be applied on the ground? What are some manager needs in the oak-fire science world? We hope to answer all of these questions and more next June in Westborough, MA at the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Building. Activities will consist of one full day for our field trip, and a second indoor day with talks and panels. We look forward to seeing you there!

Register Now! 

Registration 

Wednesday, June 15 - All-day field trip - $30 (includes lunch and transportation)

Thursday, June 16 - Indoor program - $30 (includes lunch and refreshments)

Full program - $50 ($10 savings)

If you have dietary restrictions, please contact Amanda Mahaffey at amanda@forestguild.org.

Agenda (working)

WORKING Agenda Wednesday, June 15, 2016

8:00    Registration, Coffee    

8:30     Site Orientation Presentation   

8:45     Depart for Crocker Conservation Area

9:30     Arrive Crocker Conservation Area – Red Oak Forest, North County Land Trust, Fitchburg         

10:30    Depart for Wachusett Reservoir    Boylston, MA 

11:05     Arrive Wachusett Reservoir Gate 6 – Mixed Oak Forest, MA DCR Division of Water Supply Protection   

12:30    Lunch at Wachusett Reservoir

1:15       Depart for Green Hill Park, City of Worcester

1:30      Green Hill Park – Chestnut Oak Woodland, City of Worcester Parks and Recreation    

2:30     Depart for Perkins Farm Conservation Area, City of Worcester

2:45     Perkins Farm Conservation Area - Mixed Oak, City of Worcester

3:30     Wrap-up

3:45     Depart for Westborough    

4:00     Westborough, end of day

 

WORKING Agenda Thursday, June 16, 2016

8:00      Registration

8:30      Welcome

Bill Patterson III, Ph. D., Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 

8:55      Oak forests and the Massachusetts landscape

Chris Buelow, Restoration Ecologist, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Caren Caljouw, Habitat Biologist, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

9:40      Break

9:55      Benefits of fire in oak-dominated natural communities

Marc Abrams, Ph. D., Professor of Forest Ecology and Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University School of Forest Resources

Peter Grima, Service Forester, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

Diane Burbank and Jeff Tilley, USDA Forest Service, Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests

11:45   Lunch

12:40   Challenges for using fire in oak

Joel Carlson, Principal, Northeast Forest and Fire Management, LLC

John Scanlon, Habitat Program Leader, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

TBD, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

1:30      Break

1:45      Fire and silviculture tools for securing oak regeneration

Jeff Ward, Ph. D., Chief Scientist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Department of Forestry and Horticulture

John Neely, USDA Forest Service, White Mountain National Forest

2:45      Break

3:00      Breakouts: Identify the most urgent and salient science questions for oak systems; Guidelines for land managers to use fire as a tool in fire-adapted ecosystems

3:40      Report-out

3:50      Wrap-up & Evaluation

4:00      Adjourn

Continuing Education Credits

North Atlantic Fire Exchange Oak Capstone Workshop, Day 1 has been assigned 3.5 category 1 CFE credits by the Society of American Foresters.
North Atlantic Fire Exchange Oak Capstone Workshop, Day 2 has been assigned 4.5 category 1 CFE credits by the Society of American Foresters.

To inquire about receiving credits for other disciplines, please contact amanda@forestguild.org.

Travel

Field trip transportation is provided.

Numerous lodging accommodations can be found in the vicinity of Westborough, MA. One affordable option that offers a government rate is the Extended Stay America at 180 East Main St., Westborough MA (note there are two Extended Stay Americas in Westborough). The Courtyard Boston Westborough also offers the government rate. Other options can be found on hotels.com or other websites.

Some travel assistance is available from the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange. For more information, please visit: http://www.firesciencenorthatlantic.org/new-page-2.

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