Virginia, simply put, is a forest. While most citizens of the Commonwealth don’t own a piece of the Old Dominion’s woods, they do depend on it and influence its future.
Will forestry remain one of the largest industries in Virginia in economic outputs? In addition to fiber, will Virginians continue to benefit from the production of clean air and water from the privately and publicly owned forests within our State’s boundaries?
The answers to such questions are directly and indirectly in the hands of youth and the teachers who teach them.
Headwaters Soil & Water Conservation District is partnering with VA Cooperative Extension and the VA Department of Forestry to offer a two-day Teaching Trees Workshop on July 24 and 25, 2024, at McCormick Farm near Raphine.
The Teaching Trees program is designed for middle and high school teachers of life science, biology, ecology, environmental studies and vocational agriculture, and will provide teachers with factual and credible information about Virginia’s hardwood and pine forests; link the concepts to the Virginia SOL; and provide training in Project Learning Tree activities.
A variety of forest management techniques and forest products industries will be showcased by leading teachers through a sequential discovery of sustainable forest management in the field with practicing foresters, culminating with a first-hand encounter with converting the uniquely sustainable raw material into everyday products. Teachers will receive PLT curriculum (2 modules) and a teaching kit for many of the activities modeled in the workshop.
The cost is $25 (includes all materials plus light breakfast, lunch and snacks both days) per teacher, and registration is available online.
The registration deadline is Friday, May 31, 2024. For more information, email Rich Wood, Education & Outreach Coordinator, Headwaters SWCD ([email protected]), or call 540-248-0148, ext. 8.
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Rebecca Barnabi
