Pre-Commercial Thinning Workshop and Field Tour on Orcas Island, October 19th

Northwest Certified Forestry, a program of Northwest Natural Resource Group, will be hosting the third and final workshop in a series of events focused on forest health on the San Juan Islands. Many of the forested areas on the archipelago are comprised of extremely dense small diameter trees. These dense stands are a high risk for forest fire, have stagnant growth and low timber quality and present very poor wildlife habitat.

“By carefully thinning these stands you can increase the growth and vigor of remaining trees; improve timber quality; increase resilience to fire, pests, disease and drought; and, arguably, improve the overall aesthetic character of your forest,” say organizers. “Often times this method of thinning is referred to as ‘pre-commercial thinning,’ as only the smallest diameter, lowest quality and non-merchantable trees are removed.”

This workshop and field tour will examine the ecological dynamics of overstocked stands, thinning options, how to mitigate the resulting slash, and management costs. Event speakers include Kirk Hanson, Director of Northwest Certified Forestry; Carson Sprenger, Founder of Rain Shadow Consulting; and Rich Harvey, Owner of Harvey Logging.

A classroom session will be held at the Orcas Senior Center at 62 Henry Rd, Eastsound WA, 98245. The field tour portion will include two to three diverse sites and management needs. RSVP is required at kirk@nnrg.org or (360) 316-9317.