WANTED: Forest Owner Volunteers or Help Spread the Forest Stewardship Message

Cornell Cooperative Extension is looking for a few good forest owner volunteers to meet and work with their neighbors. The NY Master Forest Owner Volunteer Program is entering its 23rd year with a new volunteer training scheduled for Sept. 25 to 29, 2013. Volunteers who complete the 4-day workshop will join the corps of 200+ certified volunteers across the state.

Sept. 25-29, at Cornell University’s Arnot Teaching and Research Forest, Van Etten, NY

Applications are due by September 11, 2013

Participants can commute daily, or accommodations are available at the Forest. http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/arnot/  There is a $100 fee that helps defray lodging, publications, food, and equipment costs. The workshop combines classroom and outdoor field experiences on a wide variety of subjects including; tree identification, finding boundaries, forest ecology, wildlife and sawtimber management, communication techniques, timber harvesting, and a visit to a nearby sawmill.

The goal of the MFO Program is to provide private forest owners with the information and encouragement necessary to manage their forests to enhance ownership satisfaction. MFOs do not perform management activities nor give professional advice. Rather, they meet with forest owners to listen to their concerns and questions, and offer advice as to sources of assistance based on their training and personal experience.

Some of the program’s biggest supporters are the volunteers who have worked with the program for years. Give one of them a call to learn of the program’s unique benefits. More information regarding the MFO Program, a listing of current volunteers, a sample training agenda and an application form is also available on our website at: www.cornellmfo.info or call 607/255-2115.