He Said, She Said…about the Oak in the Driftless Workshop
Last month, on a beautiful Saturday, nearly one-hundred landowners gathered for the Oak in the Driftless Workshop in Richland Center, WI. By every measure, the day was a great success! The workshop highlighted actions to keep the mighty oak dominant in Southern Wisconsin to create beautiful, healthy woods and serve wildlife.
In the morning, regional experts presented on many different topics including oak management, invasive species, songbirds, harvesting methods, oak savannas, taxes, among others.
Throughout the workshop, there was a cacophony of voices as landowners shared their own experiences with each other. After lunch, participants boarded buses to visit a landowner’s property where oak regeneration practices are being implemented.
The participant evaluations (we received 63 from 94 attendees) were so positive it seemed a shame to just file them away. If you attended, you were glad you did; if you didn’t, consider joining us next time. Thanks to presenters and attendees for a successful day! Here is a small sample from the evaluations.
Liked most…
“The dedication, knowledge, and expertise of all presenters. The organization of workshops & variety. Food was great too.”
Learned…
“Understanding the difference between oaks and maples, hickories, and walnut as far as needs for survival and how the makeup of the woods has changed as a result.”
“Learning the small amount I did about cost-sharing grant programs encourages me to start planning for my small woodlands, knowing that I may get some assistance. Until now, the visions I had seemed too big, too expensive.”
“Considering applying for an invasive species grant. And meeting with a forester.”
“We have already done a management plan, had an EQIP grant, had a forester help with a timber sale to help out the oaks. This workshop has helped to confirm that we are still on the right track. Next step will be to create more two acre plus openings to add to the existing oak regeneration.”
“Helpful to understand tree selection for culling.”
“Workshop reinforced our commitment to improve our forest management. Establish “patch” clearing for oak regeneration.”
Shared with family (and, regrettably not)…
“Relaxed and helpful environment. Came with my son – a common interest is developing.“
“Wish my son had been here, he would have loved it.”
On the challenges ahead…
“Overall I enjoyed the workshop & learned a great deal. Figuring out how to move forward still remains a problem, but I’m now more motivated to get to work.”
What it meant…
“Good information and passionate people equals inspiration and motivation!”
“The workshop exceeded my expectations in so many ways — the session leaders were terrific, and the afternoon “walk” was great and really, really informative. Over the course of my professional life (long ago), which had nothing to do with forestry or land use, I attended many one-and-two day seminars costing many, many times more, that were of considerably less value than today’s workshop. It was clear that there is a real community of people of knowledge and experience who are willing to share with others. So, thanks again to you and everyone involved and keep up the amazing work.”
Join us for the upcoming Oak in the Driftless workshop on September 29th, 2018 in Baraboo. You’ll be glad you did! Registration is now open.