July 24 - 28, 2015
Learn forest ecology and management techniques for eastern woodlands from Farming the Woods co-author Steve Gabriel and renowned forester Mike Demunn along with guests for this five-day course.
Visit local old growth and heritage forests and farms and practice tree ID, stand assessment, marking, and felling techniques. Learn about forest medicinals, and visit farms practicing silvopasture and mushroom cultivation.
This course is designed for woodland owners, famers, extension professionals, permaculture practitioners and homesteaders who seek a better understanding of the intricacies of management in northeastern woodlands. Come build your skills in forest mapping, stand assessment, tree selection, and low-impact tree removal.
Steve Gabriel is an ecologist, educator, author, and forest farmer who has lived most of his life in the Finger Lakes region of New York. His work reconnects people of all ages to the natural world while offering strategies for sound management and restoration of productive landscapes. With over a decade of experience in environmental education, forest management, and farming, he co-founded the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and currently works for the Cornell Small Farms Program on agroforestry research and education. Along with wife Elizabeth, he operates Wellspring Forest Farm in Mecklenburg NY, where they produce shiitake mushrooms, duck eggs, and maple syrup. He has co-authored a book called “Farming the Woods” with Cornell University professor Ken Mudge.
Michael DeMunn is a widely recognized forester and conservationist in the Finger Lakes region. He has been practicing ecological forestry for three decades and has worked for the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and the Soil and Water District, and for industry as head forester for a large lumber company. Michael is also a founding member of the Finger Lakes Land Trust and is their forestry adviser. He has been involved with establishing numerous nature preserves and has done forest improvement through timber management on thousands of acres and with countless landowners in the area. He was given the name Da’ Ha’ da’ nyah meaning “he protects the forest” by his Seneca Hawk Clan mother when she adopted him as her son.
Registration & Tuition Information