Forestry education is coming to the Key Peninsula.
Beginning April 4, Washington State University’s extension forestry service will offer its flagship nine-week forest stewardship course to local landowners. The course is broad-based, covering topics like tree biology, soil, wildlife, disease, thinning, safe harvest, invasive weeds and fire risk. It aims to introduce landowners to resources and research that are grounded in the particular challenges of managing Western Washington forests.
According to Kevin Zobrist, the WSU forestry professor who organizes the course, landowners with less than an acre to more than 500 acres will find value in the class — whether their objectives are related to ecosystem health, wildlife, natural beauty, harvest income, or privacy.
The course has been offered for years in other counties. This is its first offering in Pierce County.