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 RECENT EVENTS ...
WOODLAND OWNER WORKSHOP SERIES |
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Saturdays 8:30 am to 12:00 noon
February 9, 2008
February 16, 2008
February 23, 2008
March 1, 2008
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Scituate Community House
No. Scituate, RI
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RIFCO will be hosting its popular four-morning series of workshops on woodland management topics at the Scituate Community
House in North Scituate Village.The workshop series will feature natural resource professionals, with take-home materials to inform attendees on topics ranging from estate and tax
planning, locating boundaries and working with maps, forestry and wildlife habitat management options, to soils, insects and diseases, and chainsaw safety. An optional field trip will be offered,
weather permitting, at the end of the series to the RIFCO Demonstration Woodlot, which is located on Howard Hill Road in Foster.
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February 9
Forest Mgmt. Planning:
Marc Tremblay (RIFCO, Forestry Consultant)
USDA Cost-Share Programs: Mike Merrill, USDA Natural Res. Cons. Service
Estate Planning:
Jane Gurzenda, Gorham & Gorham, Attorneys at LawFebruary 16
Where Is It? Property Boundaries: TBA
Soils & Mapping:
Jim Turreen, Soil Scientist, USDA Natural Resources Cons. Service February 23
Wildlife Habitat: Paul Ricard, RI DFE
Coverts Project: Paul Boisvert, RIFCO March 1
Silviculture, Harvesting Timber: Chris Modisette, RI RC&D Coordinator (forester) and Tom Abbott, forester, RI DFE
Chain Saw Safety:
Paul Dolan, forester, RI DFE
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Pre-registration for the workshops is required, along with a fee of $15 per workshop, or $55.00 for the four-workshop series. RIFCO
members get a $5.00 discount for each workshop.
REGISTER NOW
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RIFCO ANNUAL MEETING & SILENT AUCTION |
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Friday, November 9, 2007
6:00 PM |
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Chelo's Banquet Facility
Warwick, RI |
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Our annual meeting will include the Silent Auction, Tree Farmer of the Year Award, RIFCO Awards & Elections, and good food
and friends! Please note that this year's meeting is on a Friday evening. |
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POST & BEAM CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP |
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Saturday, October 27, 2007
9:00 AM |
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We've been talking about this one for a while, so here we go! The Adirondack shelter we've been working on is ready for
framing, thanks to the efforts of Bill Fortune and his volunteers.On Saturday morning, October 27, we'll have a free public workshop to demonstrate the mortise and tenon techniques,
featuring Phil Hauser, local sawmiller and P&B builder. Our goal will be to raise the frame for the shelter that morning. The workshop will start around 9am, and will run for a
few hours until we get the timbers set in place. There is no set schedule, so you can arrive and depart at your convenience. The Merriman Demonstration Woodlot is located on Howard
Hill Road, at the end of Briggs Road, which runs off of Route 102 about one mile north of Plainfield Pike. For more information, call us at 568-3421. |
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 2007 FORESTRY
& WOOD EXPO
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Crowne Plaza at the Crossings
801 Greenwich Avenue (Rte. 5)
Warwick, RI
MAP & DIRECTIONS
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The Forestry & Wood EXPO is an educational and business-to-business event with a goal of promoting the use of locally-grown
forest products in the building and manufacturing industries, along with the promotion of small enterprises that utilize local forest products. This year's event is being held
in conjunction with the
RI Office of Energy Resources Energy Expo.
Both events will focus on the theme of Energy Efficiency Products, Alternative Energy Products,
and Forest & Wood Products.The event will run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and will be open to the general public. The Expo will offer educational
sessions on forest stewardship and forest-business topics, as well as vendors, exhibitors, and demonstrations on a variety of subjects.
This event has been organized by the RI Forest Conservators Organization, Inc., the RI Office of Energy Resources, RIDEM - Division of Forest Environment, The University of Rhode Island,
the RI Rural Development Council, the RI Resource Conservation & Development Area, and the RI Tree Farm Committee. |
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$200 for 10'x10' booth
Electricity for booth, outdoor
exhibit space for equipment demonstrations, and product demonstration time on show floor available.
REGISTRATION FORM
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Two sponsorship levels available.
Sponsorships include
an exhibit booth, two registrations, and signage for the sponsored event. Event sponsors have logos on banners and in advertising for the event. All sponsors are listed in the event Program
publication.
SPONSORSHIP FORM
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WAYS OF THE WOODS EXHIBIT |
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Saturday, October 13, 2007
9:00 AM to 12:00 NOON |
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USDA/NRCS WORKSHOPS ON COST-CARE
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS |
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Tues., Oct. 9, 2007 @ 4:00 PM
Laurel Grange, Snake Hill Rd., Harmony, RI
Wed., Oct. 10, 2007 @ 4:00 PM
ERICD office, 2490 Main Road, Tiverton, RI
Thurs., Oct. 11, 2007, 4:00 PM
Richmond Grange, Route 138, Kingston, RI |
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These workshops, sponsored by the Conservation Districts, will provide information and assist with the application process for
the various programs that provide funding for agricultural and forest management improvements.Application deadline for 2008 funding is November 1, 2007. |
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For more info, contact NRCS at 828-1300. |
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ANNUAL FALL TREE FARM TOUR |
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Saturday, October 6, 2007
8:45 AM |
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652 Gardner Road
Exeter, RI |
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The Rhode Island Tree Farm Committee is conducting its annual Fall Tour at a Tree Farm in Exeter this year, with a focus on the
management activities of last year's Outstanding Tree Farmers. The tour, hosted by John & Patience Ericson, will begin at 8:45 AM on Saturday, October 6, 2007. The tour is free and open to
the public, and no registration is necessary.The Ericsons have intensively managed their forested property and over the past fifteen years have conducted three timberharvest
operations. These operations have resulted in not only financial returns but have silviculturally improved the forest, created and maintained wildlife habitat, invigorated natural regeneration,
and created access roads and trails. With two ponds fed by a natural spring and adjacent open fields, the homesite is frequented by a myriad of native wildlife. The 37 acres of Tree
Farm have produced a total of 224,675 board feet of sawlogs and over 100 cords of fuelwood. On the walking tour we hope to see examples of forest pests, white pine blister rust and
beech bark disease. A chain saw safety and operation demonstration by DEM Forester Paul Dolan is an added feature. |
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Directions |
The Ericson's Tree Farm is located at 652 Gardner Road, about 1/2 mile south of the old town house building on Ten Rod Road, in Exeter.
Signs will be posted.
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SUMMER TWILIGHT WOODS WALK |
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Thursday, August 9, 2007
6:30 PM
Rain or shine |
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The newest addition to the RI Statewide Demonstration Woodlot Network will be the focus of a summer twilight woods walk. The
Program will be held rain or shine, and there is no charge or pre-registration required for participating.The Liberty Demonstration Woodlot is located on Liberty Hill Road, west of
the Plain Meetinghouse Church, located about three miles west of Route 102. The woods walk is being held cooperatively by the RI Forest Conservator's Organization, Inc. (RIFCO), and
the RI DEM, Division of Forest Environment (RI DFE). DFE forester Bruce Payton will be the walk leader, and he will be explaining the thinning demonstration project being developed in the white
pine woodlands of the demonstration forest. Other foresters and a wildlife biologist will also be participating. Refreshments will be provided. |
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May 12, 2007
9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Rain or Shine |
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The woods walk will begin at the Providence Water gate located on Peeptoad Road in Scituate, and will highlight the historic
features of the landscape and the current forestry practices of the lands that are managed by Providence Water. The forestry walk, led by foresters from Providence Water and RIFCO, will examine
the result of recent thinnings and harvests of the Red pine and White pine stands that were established in the old fields in the 1930's. An old mill water supply trench is present in this area,
which transported water from the Peeptoad Pond to the North Scituate Cotton Mills. An added feature of the walk will be a short hike to measure a large white pine for potential inclusion on the
state's Champion Tree inventory. |
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Saturday, March 10, 2007
9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon |
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Estate Planning Techniques presented by John T. Howard, Farm Family insurance & Arthur Read, J.D.
Conservation Easements by James V. Aukerman, J.D. |
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Registration and fee of $10.00 is required by March 3, 2007
to reserve your spot. Space is limited, so register today. Registration fee covers up to two people of the same family. |
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RIFCO ANNUAL MEETING & SILENT AUCTION |
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Saturday, November 18, 2006 |
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Chelo's Banquet Facility
Warwick, RI |
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TREE FARM ANNUAL FALL TOUR |
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Saturday, October 14, 2006
9:00 AM |
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Scituate Reservoir Site
P-2 Gate on Tunk Hill Road
Scituate, RI |
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The state's largest Tree Farm is celebrating its recertification as a Tree Farm this year by hosting the annual Tree Farm Fall
Tour. The tour, sponsored by the RI Tree Farm Program and the Providence Water Supply Board, is free and open to the public.Participants will have the opportunity to walk through
some of the woodlands behind the gates and fencing that are being managed for timber and the protection of water quality that ends up in the reservoir. You'll have access to the historic Tunk
Hill Fire Tower, a 100-foot tower built in 1935, and some of the Red Pine stands that have been harvested in recent years. "This is an opportunity to see how Providence is managing
the woodlands that protect the drinking water quality of 60% of the state's residents," said John Macera, Chair of the RI Tree Farm Committee. Mr. Macera is a Tree Farm member that lives on a
40-acre woodlot in Scituate. "There's been a long history associated with the reservoir here in town, and their forest management program is a big part of that."
One of the tour's highlights will be a look at some invasive plants that have become established in some of the area's woodlands. Participants will learn how to identify these plants and what control measures are available.
The RI Tree Farm Program sponsors annual tours to highlight the work that certified Tree Farmers do to protect and manage Rhode Island's woodlands. The RI Tree Farm
Program is part of the American Tree Farm System, promoting the sustainable management of our forests for wood, water, wildlife, and recreation since 1941. The Rhode Island program is
co-sponsored by the RI Forest Conservator's Organization (RIFCO), the RI DEM's Division of Forest Environment, and Providence Water. There is no registration required. For more
information, contact RIFCO at (401)568-3421. |
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Directions |
Providence Water's P-2 gate is located about ½ mile west of Matteson Road, or about 1 ½ miles east of the Potterville Fire Station, on Tunk
Hill Road, or RI Route 12, in Scituate. Signs will be posted.
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SUMMER PROGRAM: FORESTRY WALK |
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Thursday, August 3, 2006
6:30 PM |
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Borders Farm Woodlot
31 North Road
Foster, RI |
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The development of a Forest Stewardship Plan for the Borders Farm woodlot will be the focus of the summer twilight woods walk.
The woods walk is being held cooperatively by the Borders Farm Preservation, Inc., the RI Forest Conservator's Organization, Inc. (RIFCO), and the RI Chapter of the Society of American Foresters
(RI SAF).The tour will be led by Marc Tremblay, a forestry consultant who developed the Forest Stewardship management plan for the Borders Farm woodlands, and Catherine Sparks,
acting Chief of the RI Division of Forest Environment. Other foresters may also be participating. A Forest Stewardship Plan looks at the resources on a property and develops forestry,
wildlife management, and other land stewardship recommendations, according to the interests and objectives of the property owner. Catherine and Marc are both members of the RI SAF and RIFCO.
Development of these plans can be cost-shared through the USDA's Forest Land Enhancement Program, which is administered here in Rhode Island by the state's DEM, Division of Forest
Environment. According to Catherine Sparks of the Division, they are accepting applications for the program from woodlot owners of more than 10 acres. For more information on the FLEP
program, attend the woods walk at the Borders Farm, contact Tom Abbott of the RI DFE at 539-2356.
MORE INFOThe program will be held rain or shine, and there is no charge or pre-registration required for
participating. Refreshments will be provided.
Map & Directions |
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SPRING PROGRAM: FORESTRY WALK |
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Saturday, May 20, 2006
9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon |
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Arcadia Management Area
Exeter, RI |
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RIFCO's Annual Spring Program - Forestry Walk will feature a fire equipment demonstration.The program will be
held rain or shine, and there is no charge for participating. The woods walk will begin at the DEM check station located just east of Mount Tom Road, and will highlight a fuel-hazard mitigation
project being conducted by the RI Division of Forest Environment and the J. Thompson Native Lumber Co. The RI DFE forest fire crews will have some of their fire-fighting equipment on
hand, and will conduct demonstrations of how they draw from water sources to fight woods fires. The Division is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, with their forest fire control
function a major part of their history and tradition. The fuel hazard mitigation project is a special program funded through the US Forest Service to reduce hazardous conditions in
forest stands, and this particular 90-acre pine plantation along Mount Tom Road is being thinned of its highly flammable thickets to reduce fire hazards. The plantation was established after a
severe burn in the 1950's. The RIFCO Spring Program is free and open to the public.
Map & Directions |
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Community College of Rhode Island
400 East Avenue
Warwick, RI
DIRECTIONS
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