Managing Our Piedmont Forests Today – Are We Doing the Right Things?
By Glenn Woolard, County Extension Director
“Managing Our Piedmont Forests Today – Are We Doing the Right Things?” workshop on Thursday, May 17, in Pittsboro will attempt to answer questions and concerns from environmentalists and the non timber owning public who do not depend on timber production for part of their income. Both non-timber owners and timber owners, however, are encouraged to attend. Chatham County ranks fourteenth in the state in stumpage forest income. Stumpage is the price paid to the timber owner for standing timber. Stumpage income in Chatham is over thirteen million dollars. Timber is the second highest farm income with poultry and eggs being number one. Over sixty percent of Chatham is in timber land – over 260,000 acres. Eighty-eight percent of the timber land is privately owned.
Cooperative Extension receives numerous questions from Chatham residents about why timber is being cut, are we cutting more trees than we are planting, why is clear cutting a recommended timber harvesting method, why are landowners planting only pines, and other questions about how timber land is managed. These concerns and more will be addressed at this special workshop planned jointly by the Chatham Extension forestry advisory committee and the Cooperative Extension staff. This is a premier presentation. This workshop is being developed and presented for the first time in North Carolina by the Extension Forestry Department at North Carolina State University and NCWoodlands.
The agenda includes the following topics: the ecology and forest history of North Carolina’s Piedmont Forests, why manage forests, why do we clear-cut so much, are their alternatives to clear cutting and where and when do they make sense, and what is the future of our Piedmont forests. There will be at least 30 minutes at the end for questions, answers and brief comments and concerns from the participants.
The workshop is being conducted by the Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and Extension Forestry at North Carolina State University. Bring your questions and concerns and join us on May 17. This is an educational workshop, not a public hearing, but participants will have plenty of time to ask questions. Participants will be asked to state one question and one comment if they choose to do so, and then give the next person the opportunity to do the same. Time permitting; we will rotate around a second time once all participants have their first chance.
Dr. Dennis Hazel and Dr. Robert Bardon, Forestry Extension Specialists at North Carolina State University; and Stephen Whitfield, Executive Director for NCWoodlands, will give the presentations. The workshop will be coordinated by Glenn Woolard, County Extension Director.
The workshop will be on Thursday, May 17, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It will be held in the auditorium downstairs in the County Agriculture Building in Pittsboro. A light dinner will be provided.
The registration fee is $5.00. Participants may pay in advance or at the door. The registration fee includes workshop materials, advertising, and food.
You must call Cooperative Extension at (919) 542-8202 to pre-register. This will insure that we have enough food and workshop materials. Those who do not pre-register will be asked to go through the food line last. Make checks payable to: Chatham County Cooperative Extension. Mail to: Cooperative Extension, PO Box 279, Pittsboro, NC 27312-0279.
You can also register at the Chatham County Extension Center at the County Agriculture Building in Pittsboro. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more details, call Glenn Woolard, County Extension Director, at (919) 542-8202, email to glenn_woolard@ncsu.edu or visit our web site at http://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/
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