UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two online seminars on forest issues will be offered by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
The webinars, presented by the School of Forest Resources’ Pennsylvania Forests Web Seminar Center, are scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. July 22 and Aug. 26.
Tree identification
The July 22 webinar will feature Sanford Smith, youth and natural resources extension specialist, presenting, “Summer Tree Identification Made Easy.”
This session will present the basic types of leaves, their characteristics and how to use a ‘tree key’ for identification.
Before taking part in this webinar participants should download and print the 4-H Summer Key for Pennsylvania Trees that will be used during the session from the Forests Web Seminar Center’s Web site at http://rnrext.cas.psu.edu/paforestweb/upcomingseminars.html.
American ginseng
On Aug. 2, Eric Burkhart, instructor and program director of plant science at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, will present “Plant Yer Own Patch! An Introduction to American Ginseng Forest Farming.”
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to one of the state’s most valuable crops, American ginseng. The botany, biology, ecology, markets, growing options, propagation techniques and management issues (pests, theft and regulations) will be covered.
“Second Tuesday.”
Starting in September, the regular “Second Tuesday” Pennsylvania Forests Web Seminar Series begins again with a Sept. 8 webinar titled, “Forest Regeneration and Management,” presented by Susan Stout, project leader with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station.
On Oct. 13, Bryan Swistock, Penn State water resources extension specialist, will present “Protecting Water Resources on Your Property.”
Webinars in the “Second Tuesday” series will be offered at noon and 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month.
Online viewing
As with all presentations in the Pennsylvania Forest Web Seminar Series, each session will be recorded and loaded onto the center’s Web site for online viewing along with a copy of the presentation and any handout materials.
However, none of the interactive elements will be available when watching the recordings. Participation in the webinars does not require any special software.
To view live and previously recorded seminars, you need a high-speed Internet connection.
Register
To register and take part in the live seminars or to view the upcoming seminars schedule, visit http://rnrext.cas.psu.edu/paforestweb/.
