The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is excited to announce registration for the 2024 Kentucky Woodland Owners Short Course (WOSC) is now open.  

The program is designed to enhance woodland owners' capabilities in managing and preserving their woodland resources effectively. The upcoming course features a series of five informative online sessions, complemented by a practical field session with two available dates to accommodate more participants. 

“We are really excited about this year’s Kentucky Woodland Owners Short Course,” said Billy Thomas, extension forester in the UK Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. “We have online sessions dealing with many topics important to woodland owners. We also have two outstanding field sessions for participants to choose from.” 

The online courses are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT, starting June 11.

WOSC will cover numerous aspects, including woodland management processes, tree identification, climate change, woodland health, interactions between wildlife and woodlands, the impact of carbon and how National Resource Conservation Service programs can support woodland health and water quality. These sessions are designed to increase awareness of critical woodland and wildlife issues, provide practical examples of solutions and introduce the programs and professionals available to support woodland owners. 

Following the online sessions, participants can attend one of two hands-on field sessions. These are scheduled for July 13 at the UK Robinson Forest and August 10 at Roundstone Native Seed.  

The field sessions are intended to showcase effective woodland and wildlife management practices, allowing participants to see these practices applied on the ground and interact with natural resource professionals. This practical application helps reinforce the lessons learned online and illustrates how they can be translated into effective stewardship of their own woodlands. 

“The WOSC is a unique opportunity for woodland owners,” Thomas said. “Through the course, participants receive a tremendous amount of information about caring for their woodlands. They can connect with natural resource professionals who can assist them on their own land.” 

To learn more about WOSC, including registration, visit https://wosc.ca.uky.edu/2024WOSC.  

###

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.