ORONO – The 2004 Yankee Woodlot Forestry Camp will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 1 at the Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Lincolnville. Full tuition is offered this year to any woman who wishes to take the program.

Funding is provided by the Woman and the Woods program of the Maine Forest Service and the Woman’s Agricultural Network of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Vivianne Holmes, extension educator and network director, said, “We are providing this support as an incentive to get women enrolled in forestry camp. Attending forestry camp is a great way to develop networks with others involved in caring for forestland and a place to gain a wealth of knowledge about forest management.”

This marks the 21st year for the annual program. It is the first year that incentive funding is provided exclusively for women.

The goal of Yankee Woodlot Forestry Camp is to increase the acreage in Maine that is managed for long-term sustainability. Sustainable forest management is the practice of meeting forest resource needs and values of the present without compromising the similar capability of future generations. To achieve that goal, not only do landowners need to be clear about their own needs and desires, they also must be knowledgeable about forest ecology, biodiversity, wildlife, and best management practices. In addition, they must think about future generations.

According to forester and Extension educator Leslie Hyde, forestry camp provides landowners with hands-on experience in getting to know the Maine forest and how to manage woodlands. The program is orientated for the landowner, woods worker, land trust volunteer, town forest personnel and others who have responsibility to care for forestland.

Hyde said that the course is helpful for those who are working with a professional forester and who wish to better understand what the forester does and why.

The Yankee Woodlot Forestry Camp is sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in collaboration with the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine and the Maine Forest Service.

Each day of the weeklong program seeks to answer basic questions landowners typically asks about their forestland: Where is it? What’s on it? What’s under it? What is it worth? How can I best care for it?

On the first day of the program, participants are given a mock deed to a 20-acre parcel of the Tanglewood forest and then, working in groups, are challenged to answer those questions for that parcel. Participants locate their parcel by learning to use a compass, pacing distances, making a map, marking boundaries and locating it on aerial photographs.

Learning about forest ecology and then identifying trees, plants and wildlife reveals what’s on their parcel.

“What’s under it” is discovered through the use of soil maps and then a shovel and soil auger to dig into the forest floor. To figure out “what it’s worth,” a full day is devoted to woodland cruising. Cruising involves using tools to measure tree height and diameter, taking plot samples and using price tables to calculate the dollar value of the trees growing on the parcel.

To determine “how to best care for it,” students learn a variety of silvicultural methods and hear from professionals with years of experience.

On the last day of the camp, each group presents its plan for managing its study parcel.

The days of forestry camp are filled with a blend of presentations, discussion and fieldwork. Evenings include special guests and time for discussions, time for viewing videotapes, or just relaxing. Faculty and foresters are available for personal consultation throughout the week.

Since forestry camp began in 1983, more than 300 graduates have completed the annual course and include an equal mix of men and women, ranging in age from 17 to 87.

Participants live in separate wood-heated cabins. Showers and wash facilities are located a short walk from the cabins. Hardy, well-balanced meals are served family-style in the main dining hall. The registration fee is $400 for Maine residents, $450 for others, and includes meals, lodging, cruising stick and educational materials.

To register write: Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, One Tanglewood Road, Lincolnville 04849; or call toll free (877) 944-2267, or 789-5868; or visit www.umaine.edu/umext/YankeeWoodlot.