Webinars focus on keeping white oaks healthy, productive
The Michigan Society of American Foresters is offering a series of five webinars to boost knowledge about white oak and best practices for growing and using it.
Foresters, land managers and family forest landowners are welcome to sign up for any or all of the webinars. A new one is offered the first Wednesday of each month November through March.
The graceful, long-lived white oak offers food and shelter for wildlife, valuable lumber and bushels of cute little acorns. But in Michigan and other parts of the United States, new oak seedlings aren’t surviving at a rate sufficient to replace mature oaks.
“The webinar series offers a look at white oak, its importance, and how this valuable tree species can be better managed,” said Mike Smalligan, member of the Michigan Society of American Foresters and forest stewardship coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “White oak is declining because not all land use and forest management practices are promoting natural regeneration.”
The webinars are free, but you must register in advance. All webinars will run 3-4:30 p.m. (Eastern). Topics are:
Nov. 2: Oak ecology and silviculture. Speakers are Greg Nowacki, Stacy Clark and Callie Schweitzer, all with the USDA Forest Service. Register.
Dec. 7: Insects and diseases of oak. Speakers are Deb McCullough, Michigan State University Department of Forestry, and Isabel Munck, USDA Forest Service. Register.
Jan. 4: Markets and economics for oak in Michigan. Speakers are Chris Schmiege and Jagdish Poudel of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Register.
Feb. 1: Restoration of rare oak ecosystems. Speakers are Jesse Lincoln, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, and Steve Woods, Huron Pines. Register.
March 1: Managingoak for wildlife. Speakers are Ryan Boyer, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Michael Paling, American Bird Conservancy. Register.
Championing white oak nationally, here at home
White oak occupies 104 million acres across the eastern and central U.S., providing important habitat for other plants and animals and supporting commercial production of furniture, flooring, cabinetry and barrels for wine and spirits.
A decline in the number of oak trees led to the 2018 formation of the White Oak Initiative, a national coalition of industries, universities, state and federal agencies, private landowners, trade associations and conservation organizations working together to address the decline.
In Michigan, the DNR leads a team of 10 partners to bring ideas and resources from the national White Oak Initiative to our state. The American Forest Foundation awarded $50,000 in USDA Forest Service grants to the Michigan partners to conduct outreach to the public and woodland owners in 2022 and 2023. All partners are equal opportunity employers and providers.
