The weekend workshops give landowners large and small a chance to learn about forestry, forest health, wildfire risks, and more

Want to learn about forest health from your family room? Creating habitat for critters while on your couch? Planting trees in your pajamas? Anyone can do so later this month – for free – through the annual Forest Owners’ Winter School hosted online by Washington State University Extension Forestry and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

The classes, which will run via Zoom from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, have something for all skill levels, from beginners to veterans, including how to grow your own mushrooms, preparing your trees for climate change, and protecting your property from wildfire.

Designed to let you attend multiple workshops all in the same day, the Winter School will help you address challenges on your property, restore healthy forest conditions, and achieve your goals. The event will feature experts from a variety of state and local natural resource agencies, and participants can choose up to five sessions from a total of 30 seminars, expert panels, and roundtable discussions. Topics include forest management, wildlife, wildfire protection, hardwood tree management, invasive weed control, and more.

After a year with very few opportunities for community and networking, there will also be opportunities to chat with fellow forest landowners, and exchange experiences, tips, and tricks in an online format. There will be both eastern and western Washington sessions. Registered attendees will be given access to recordings of all sessions.

Attendance is free, but pre-registration is required by 5 p.m. on February 26. To see a full list of workshop topics, register for the Winter School or learn more, visit http://forestry.wsu.edu/webinars/onlinews/ or contact WSU Extension Forestry at 425-357-6023.