2025 Healthy Hardwoods Field Day Set for Chuck Swan State Forest

Forestry professionals, landowners, and natural resource enthusiasts are invited to attend the 2025 Healthy Hardwoods Field Day, a hands-on educational event focused on sustainable hardwood management and oak regeneration. The event will take place at Chuck Swan State Forest, offering both classroom-style presentations and in-the-field demonstrations.

Event Schedule Highlights:

The day begins with registration at 8:00 AM, followed by a welcome and introduction. Attendees will then dive into a series of expert-led sessions:

Shelterwood Harvesting (9:15 AM): Dr. David Peairs will explain the shelterwood method for encouraging oak regeneration, covering preparatory cuts, seed cuts, regeneration assessments, and overstory removal. Topics include crown class importance, prescribed fire, and timber marking.

Forestry Stewardship (10:25 AM): Dr. Peairs will discuss stewardship use in hardwood silviculture, including midstory control, seedling release, site preparation, and environmental considerations.

Research Findings (11:35 AM): Two studies will be presented—one on releasing oak seedlings beneath a shelterwood, and another on underplanting oak in bottomland hardwood stands following chemical overstory treatments.

A lunch break will be provided from 12:15 to 1:00 PM, followed by two field tour stops:

Field Tour Stop #1 (1:00 PM): Attendees will visit a planted oak seedling release site to observe herbicide treatment effects on competition species like yellow-poplar and tree of heaven.

Field Tour Stop #2 (2:30 PM): A shelterwood site, 2–3 years post seed cut, will be explored to assess oak regeneration, prescribed fire history, and residual tree selection.

The event will conclude at 3:30 PM.

Why Attend?
This field day offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from forestry experts and see real-world applications of hardwood management practices. Whether you're managing forestland, advising landowners, or simply interested in forest ecology, this event provides valuable insights into improving oak regeneration and forest health.

Registration is open now. Boots are recommended for field tours. For more information, Call TFA to register at (615) 883-3832.