Backyard Woodland Workshop & Field Tour
Are you interested learning how better to manage the natural areas on your property or convert some lawn into
natural area? You are invited to participate in the “The Woods in Your Backyard Workshop & Field Tour” to
be held from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Thursday, October 15, 2015. The workshop will be held at the Washington
County Agricultural Education Center at 7303 Sharpsburg Pike in Boonsboro and a nearby demonstration site.
This workshop is designed to provide the basics of woodland and wildlife management for property owners
with more than an acre, but is useful for smaller properties as well. Participants will learn how to make their
woodlands work for them and learn techniques and practices that will help them develop a plan for their
property. After a 45-minute indoor session, class members will carpool to a nearby 3-acre lot subdivision to:
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Tour a property converted from a cornfield in 1991 to woodland using techniques and practices from the
Woods In Your Backyard guide. A variety of tools and techniques will be demonstrated and the impact on
wildlife habitat discussed.
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Visit a recent backyard tree planting using tree shelters to convert former lawn to natural area. You will
learn about site preparation, seedlings, tree shelters, maintenance, costs and other factors involved when
planting tree seedlings.
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Work in small groups, applying what you learned at the first two sites to develop a plan to convert a 3-acre
lot composed primarily of lawn to a more natural area.
The program will be taught by Jonathan Kays, a Natural Resource Extension Specialist with the University of
Maryland Extension. The woodland stewardship practices learned at the workshop will bring you many
personal benefits including:
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More time outdoors with your family and friends
Increased privacy and sanctuary
More abundant wildlife
Forest products from firewood to mushrooms
Enhanced property value
The registration fee for the course is $15. Workshop participants will receive the newly-released second edition
full‐color 130‐page guide, The Woods in Your Backyard: Learning to Create and Enhance Natural Areas
Around Your Home, (a $25 value), a workbook, and a tree identification guide.
A registration form is attached and can be found on the University of Maryland Extension’s Woodland
Stewardship Education events page at: www.extension.umd.edu/woodland. For information about the
program, contact Jonathan Kays at jkays@umd.edu or 301-432-2767 x323.
Registration Form - Backyard Woodland Workshop & Field Tour
Cost: $15 per person
Registration: To register, contact Diane Woodring at 301-791-1304 or dwoodrin@umd.edu. The registration
deadline is Monday, October 5.
Payment: Make checks payable to Washington County EAC and mail to: Woods in Your Backyard, University
of MD Extension, 7303 Sharpsburg Pike, Boonsboro, MD 21713
Name
Address
City, State, Zip
Land line phone
Cell phone
E-mail address
# of people attending
Amount included
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The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because
of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital
status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression