5,000 acres of Mendocino County oak woodlands provided the backdrop for UC ANR's first California Tree School session on May 4, which saw 45 forest landowners, natural resource professionals, and students join the UC ANR Forest Stewardship team at the Hopland REC for this special educational event.
California Tree School, the ‘one stop shop' for forestry education modeled after Oregon State Extension's Tree School program, connected forested community members from across the North Coast with natural resource experts and one another. Each Tree School student attended four classes of their choice maximizing their engagement with different topics. The Hopland REC session was the first of two Tree Schools, with the second being offered in Placerville on June 1.
Aimed at both new and more experienced forest landowners, Tree School offered a little bit of everything for all present. Course formats varied widely depending on the subject: CALFIRE's Chris Lee presented a traditional lecture on tree diseases, UC ANR Forestry Advisor Susie Kocher led participants in a prescribed fire demonstration, and students utilized microscopes to study mycorrhizae root systems with Mendocino RCD's Meagan Hynes. For landowners Erica and Allen S., Lee's Tree Damagers course was a standout offering: “Tree damagers was the best class.We thought that Chris was extremely knowledgeable. It gave us a lot of food for thought and things to look for on the property.”
The event also worked to connect the forestry community, with professionals and landowners swapping stories and advice during classes and breaks. For some participants, it was a comfort to know that others in the community share their interests and passions: “Where I'm working, people think they are the only ones doing this type of work. It was cool to meet other people [at Tree School] maximizing the functionality of their ecosystems and putting time into management work,” noted participant Rebekah S.
For participants familiar with existing Forest Stewardship programming, Tree School served as a resource for continuing education. For others, Tree School was an introduction to stewardship concepts and the resources offered to landowners through Cooperative Extension. Antonio C. and his partner Tylor H. attended Tree Schoolas new landowners curious about what more they could do for their land. “We came away [from Tree School] with a definite understanding of what stewardship meant,” Antonio explained. “I wanted more time in each session! We have a responsibility now that we own a piece of land.It's so important to take care of it.”