Please join Smokey House Center, Women and our Woodlands, and Audubon Vermont on Sunday, September 7th from 10am to 3pm for a women-centered workshop on sugarbush silviculture. While it may seem like sugar production and forest management are at odds, they couldn’t be more connected. Smokey House Center is launching a new research and demonstration sugarbush on the side of Dorset peak to answer some of the questions that foresters and sugarmakers wonder about managing a forest for both timber and sugar production. For instance, what are the impacts on sap volumes and sugar levels after a harvest in the short and long term? What is the ideal gap size to promote regeneration of multiple tree species?

The morning will consist of an easy-moderate walk through Smokey House’s campus sugarbush. We will return to the conference barn for lunch and then have an optional afternoon hike up Dorset peak to see the silvicultural trials painted in the Dorset sugarbush. This is a somewhat steep hike. If you have mobility concerns, please reach out so we can make a plan that works for you. Dress to be in the woods and remember to wear blaze orange for hunting season.