Click here for the full list of Appalachian Forest School courses
 

Trees of the Eastern Temperate Forest
A tree recognition, forest succession course
Arc of Appalachia Preserve System
Southern Ohio
June 27 - July 2, 2010

to register, click here 

Although the Eastern temperate forest can claim well over 200 species of trees, learning just 40 to 45 of them will allow you to travel anywhere into the forest heartland - from New York to Tennessee - and identify with accuracy 90-95% of the standing trees you will see. In fact, you could even travel to Europe and Eastern temperate Asia and be able to recognize nearly all the trees by at least their family and genera. This is exactly the goal of this course: to teach you the majority of the common, widely distributed broadleaf and associated evergreen trees in the Eastern temperate forest by both common name, and, if you are really motivated, by Latin. We will be concentrating not only on the forms of the leaves, as a clue to ID,  but particularly on bark characteristics. We will practice being in real-life situations where the forest trees are towering above your head and you must employ these other skills to identify them than having their leaves in your hands. You will also learn trees' ecological relationships, their qualities of wood, their beauty and crown shape, wood craft and folklore. We will be taking a habitat and age-successional approach to tree identification, so that your knowledge will gain depth and application. By the end of this program, with a bit of mental effort and repetitive practice, you will be able to identify from 25-70 tree species, depending on what level of mastery you choose to aspire. We will nurture and encourage the beginner (how well we remember being there!), and push the experts to higher mastery. In addition to tree ID you will also learn the read the forest's cryptic story - gleaning from just a quick glance tremendous information about the it's soils, age, and history, and health. We hope this course is the beginning or a continuation of a lifelong avocation. The course will be held at the 2000-acre Highlands Nature Sanctuary in southern Ohio, a forest covering three major physiographic regions and boasting outstanding species diversity. The Highlands is the largest of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System's thirteen preserves, and its main headquarters. Lodging and meals provided in one of the Highlands' beautiful group lodges. For more information click here.  Photos by Larry Henry.

  The single most important thing a person can do for the sake of the Eastern forest is to learn the predominant trees. With just a bit of earnest effort, you can achieve the foundations of this useful skill in just one week's time, successfully joining a group of citizens making up  less than 1% of the population. Although most Americans can recognize over 300 brand logos by sight , few can name more than one or two trees on the species level. In fact, you could say that a person steeped in forest-literacy  is just about as rare as an old-growth forest! This course is an effort to begin adjusting these statistics because knowledge is the first step to positive conservation action.
  Although the Eastern temperate forest can claim well over 200 species of trees, learning just 40 to 45 of them will allow you to travel anywhere into the forest heartland -- from New York to Tennessee -- and identify with accuracy 90 to 95% of the standing trees you will see. In fact, you could even travel to Europe and Eastern temperate China and Japan and be able to recognize nearly all the trees by at least their genera.

  This is the goal of the course - to teach you to identify by leaf and secondary characteristics a minimum of (depending on your background) 25-45 species of common, widely distributed broadleaf and associated evergreen trees in the Eastern temperate forest. The name, however, is only the beginning of this course. Associated with each tree species name you also learn its ecological relationships, the qualities of its wood, its beauty and shape, wood craft and lore. We will be taking a habitat and successional approach to tree identification so that your knowledge will gain depth and application. By the end of this program, with a bit of mental effort and repetitive practice, you will not only be able to identify trees, but by learning the forest "alphabet" of individual species you be trained to begin to read the forest's hidden script -- gleaning from a quick glance a wealth of information about the forest's soils, history, age and health. This will be the beginning of what we hope is a lifetime of increasing skill. Like any language, mastering the linguistics of nature requires on-going review, observation, and practice. This course is hopefully the beginning of a lifelong avocation.
  At course's end participants will gain a certificate of completion, and, if desired, an optional proficiency record. Each student will be developing during the course a tree journal for his or her permanent assistance and reference. Each student is required to bring at least one tree identification book.

 Location: This course is sponsored at the 2000-acre Highlands Nature Sanctuary in southern Ohio, the largest of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System's 11 preserves, and the Arc's main headquarters. The Sanctuary's central natural feature is the Rocky Fork Gorge, a vertical walled dolomite canyon that is lush with ferns, liverworts and mosses. The preserve region is a natural paradise of rare and common ecosystems and successional stages of forest growth. Within a day's walk or short drive, we can visit  old growth forests, abandoned farms reverting into successional communities, karst topography with caves and springs, boreal remnant species from the ice age, fens, wetlands, limestone bluffs, sandstone/shale Appalachian hills, and nearly every tree species that can be found in the Midwest. Fourteen miles of beautiful hiking trails exist within the Sanctuary's boundaries. Click here for Rocky Fork Gorge natural history information. Click here for The Appalachian Forest Museum, the Arc's visitor gateway. For the history of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary, click here. For the history of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, click here.

Lodging is provided within the Sanctuary boundaries and is included in the course fee. The rooms are extremely beautiful and well furnished, with most of the buildings having historic value and tasteful aesthetics. Some of the lodges require transportation to the meeting sites (1-8 miles), while some are close enough to walk or drive. Each person may request private or shared lodging with proportional pricing. Air conditioning is available if we need it. To review group lodging offerings, click here.

Delicious meals are included the course fee and will be suitable for both light meat-eaters and vegetarians, with an emphasis on healthy eating of natural, healthy foods. Breakfasts and dinners will be hearty, lunches will be light. The structure of this event is that of a "folk school" in which all participants are scheduled to take turns helping with last-minute meal preparation and after meal clean-up, reducing the cost of this event. If you wish to supplement your meals with desired foods, there will likely be limited but available refrigeration and kitchens. Clean-up for supplemental cooking must be assumed by the individual.

Cost of Event: Trip fees are $495.00/person double occupancy AND $645/person single occupancy. A $250.00 deposit is due to hold each person's reservation if you are registering before April 21, 2009. After that time, full registration is due. Sorry, no guarantee on full refunds for cancellations after April 21st unless your space can be refilled.

Leaders. Nancy Stranahan, Co-Director and Co-founder of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System is the primary organizer and teacher of this course. She worked as an interpretive naturalist much of her life. Majoring in natural resource interpretation and secondary science education at Ohio State University, she went on to work for Ohio State Parks, serving her ten years there as SW Ohio Regional Naturalist, Chief Naturalist, and Public Information Administrator. She moved into the private sector for the next twenty years, co-founding a vegetarian cafe and bakery in downtown Columbus in the historic North Market downtown district with her work partner, Larry Henry. In 1995 the two of them also co-founded the non-profit Highlands Nature Sanctuary and, later, the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System in southern Ohio, which today is one of the most efficient, forward-moving land preservation organizations in the Midwest. Nancy and Larry have led and organized literally hundreds of workshops on natural history in their lifetimes. Larry Henry, ((left) an "old-fashioned" charismatic field naturalist, will be leading the group on one of the hikes, sharing his naturalist observation skills and teaching participants how to holistically "read" and interpret the history and natural history of a forest.

   Tim Pohlar (right) will be leading the hearthside cookery and old-fashioned starting of fire, using only botanicals. Tim is part of the 3-person-team running the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. He runs the internship program for the Arc, manages Cave Canyon Visitor Center, and accomplishes much of the Arc's outdoor stewardship activities.

   Brad Gray, founder of Rome Hill Studios, is a wood-artist who will be teaching the The Art Form of Little known Wood  class on Wednesday night. Brad Gray has been working with native wood all of his life, building both functional and creative furniture and wood art pieces, including musical instruments. His workshop, nestled under tall trees in the deep hills of southern Ohio, looks like it comes out of a hobbit movie set for Lord of the Rings! Brad's work is distinctive in that he doesn't limit himself to the usual "mainstream" wood from oaks, walnut, maple and poplar. He is a creative opportunist. When the dogwoods had a die-back a few years ago, they went into his wood reserve. If an apple tree falls in his neighbor's yard, it is grist for the mill. If a persimmon gets blown over on the highway, chances are it will make its way through the network into Brad's woodshed. Milling, planing, and drying all occur on his lot, and he is just as likely to make use of locust, red cedar, sycamore and sassafras as the more commonly recognized woods. Brad will share with you some of his wood lore, and his lifelong love affair with the grain. He will give all participants samples of a variety of native wood, which you can oil and keep to help remember the rarely-appreciated  beauty and diversity to be found among our native forest wood. At program's end, Brad will treat you to another vocation of his, playing music! In this case, with hand-crafted musical instruments. For more information see www.romehillstudio.com

Photos by Larry Henry.

               to register, click here              Things you'll want to know... the details

Schedule

Day 1, Sunday
 Introduction & Welcome
Ð 3-5 pm check-in to respective lodges
Ð 6:00 pm Dinner Appalachian Forest Museum
Ð 7:15-9:00  introduction to the course, Appalachian Forest Museum
       A world view of the temperate forest biome.
 
 Day 2, Monday
Rich Mixed Mesophytic Forests
Ð 7:45 – 8:15 am breakfast at the Appalachian Forest Museum
Ð  8:45 am Valley of the Ancients Trail & Big Beech
Ð 12:30 - 1:00  pm  Packed Lunch
Ð Black Gum Woods Trail
Ð 4:00 pm Starting a Fire: Wood on Wood – Appalachian Forest Museum
Ð 6:00 pm Dinner
Ð 7:7:30  Meal  Clean-up
Ð 7:30-8:15 pm After-dinner Tree ID Practice
            
 Day 3, Tuesday
Floodplain & Early Succession Forests
Ð 7:45 – 8:15 am breakfast at the Appalachian Forest Museum
Ð Trees of the Floodplain Forest—Cedar Run
Ð Packed Lunch
Ð Fencerows & Forests in Succession - Kamelands
Ð 6:00 -7:00 pm Dinner
Ð 7:30-9:00 pm Brad Gray: Going with the Grain:
       Using native wood as an art form
 
 Day 4, Wednesday
 From Wet Bottomlands to Prairie-Forests to the Ohio River
Ð 7:45 – 8:15 am breakfast at the Appalachian Forest Museum
Ð Trip to Baker Fork Bottomlands: Pin oaks and Shellbarks
Ð Gladys Riley Preserve - Ohio River Forest
Ð Picnic Lunch:
Ð Trip to Kamama Prairie Woods
  seeking white walnuts, ancient cedars & Kentucky Coffee Trees
Ð 6:00 -7:00 pm Dinner
 
 Day 5, Thursday
 Appalachian Hill-country Forests & Review
Ð 7:45 – 8:15 am breakfast at the Appalachian Forest Museum
Ð Hike up Spruce Hill –REVIEW &  Swamp White Oak wetlands
Ð Picnic lunch on top: Bagel veggie cream cheese sandwich, banana, chips
Ð Return down hill
Ð 3:00 -5:00 pm Shale Barren Forests – Taloden Woods
Ð 6:00 -7:00 pm Dinner
 
 Day 6, Friday
 Closure
Ð 8:00 – 8:30 am breakfast at the Appalachian Forest Museum  
Ð 9:00 – 11:00 Tree ID Practicum & Lunch Snacks to take with you

 

Things you will want to know about the Tree Course......

      including Registration, travel and Meal info

                            
Registration includes: Five nights lodging at the Sanctuary, four days of curriculum plus two part-days, all meals, professional leaders for all trips, all curriculum costs and admission fees. Certification of completion. THIS WORKSHOP IS RUN IN A FOLK SCHOOL MANNER, WITH PARTICIPANTS SOMETIMES HELPING OUT WITH MODEST LAST MINUTE MEAL PREPARATION, AND DEPENDABLY HELPING OUT WITH DISH CLEANUP.

Please plan for the following expenses in addition to your registration cost: Transportation to trailheads and your assigned lodge, and field trips, averaging 40 minutes of total driving a day.

Registration Fee for Event. $495.00 per person for double occupancy lodging, and $645.00 for single room lodging. If you don't need lodging, the cost per person with meals is $395.00. If you do not have a partner but want us to help you look for one for a shared room, please sign up for single room lodging, and request that we look on your behalf. If we find a parson to share your room with you of the same gender, we will notify you and will reduce your fee to the shared price, refunding any money that is due you at that time.

Books: Please bring at least one, or better yet two or more, tree ID books with you. Our list of recommended books can be found here.

Lodging: Lodging will be provided at one of two historic and fully remodeled group lodges at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. Both lodges are extremely handsome and have memorable ambience. Beechcliff will be filled first because of its convenient location. Ravenwood, which is a lovely light-filled historic mill house 15 minutes drive in distance, will be filled second. Most of the rooms in both lodges have bathrooms shared on the hall, and bedrooms with two single beds.

Meals: Delicious and healthy meals made are signature services of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary staff and volunteers. Both vegetarians and meat-eaters will be accommodated. Breakfasts and suppers will be ample, with lunch a bit lighter so as not overload you with five days of memorable eating. Meal components emphasize foods that are fresh, hand-made, relatively unrefined, and when possible, organic. THIS WORKSHOP IS RUN IN A FOLK SCHOOL MANNER, WITH PARTICIPANTS SOMETIMES HELPING OUT WITH MODEST LAST MINUTE MEAL PREPARATION, AND DEPENDABLY HELPING OUT WITH DISH CLEANUP.

Cancellation Policy: If you are registering before April 20th, a $200.00 deposit/person will hold each reservation. Full payment is due after that time. Sorry, there is no guarantee of refunds for cancellations after April 20th. Please try to find someone to fill your place.

Location and Maps. Please click here.

Trip Size: Trip size will be limited to 20 participants.

Airports and Nearest Large Town. Our two nearest airports are almost equidistant. Columbus is approximately 1.75 hours away. Cincinnati is about the same, maybe 5-10 minutes further.

Insects, ticks, and other natural challenges.
  Flying insects aren't much of a problem in at the Sanctuary. Sometimes just at dusk we will get a few mosquitoes. There will likely be some ticks in the open fields. They are easily noticed and removed, almost always before they attach. They are docile and slow-moving. If you aren't used to them, we'll help you emotionally adjust if you are willing to try! Depending on the season, we may see none or many in the fields. No special clothing or protection is needed. Unless you are unusually sensitive to insects, you probably don't need insect repellant. If in doubt, bring it.

Physical Condition Required Participants should be able to hike sustainably over uneven ground and occasionally off trail for an average of 3 miles a day, and be able to be on your feet most of the day. If you have the capacity to occasionally "push" up to six miles a day without serious discomfort, you will be able to handle the needs of this trip, which will usually be considerably less than that. Some up and downhill hiking will be included, as well as walking over uneven ground.

Things to Bring Bring informal outdoor clothing for both wet and dry weather. Sunscreen and a light-weight broad-banded hat to cover your head. Hiking boots and at least one pair of lighter shoes you can walk in. Daily change of socks. Casual shoes and casual wear for evenings and time off. Both shorts and lightweight pants. Flashlight --VERY important. It's dark here at night as we keep night lights to a minimum. Insect repellant optional, see above. Your own first aid kit as you think appropriate to your needs. Cell phone might be handy, though we don't get much coverage right at our lodging areas except for Sprint and Nextel. Highway 50 seems to give coverage to most carriers. There are land lines in the main group lodges for which you could use long distance phone cards to call out. Don't forget some pocket money.

Questions? Call the Arc of Appalachia Field Trip Coordinator, Director Nancy Stranahan at 937-365-0101, or write her at director@highlandssanctuary.org.

 The Appalachian Forest School is presented by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System.    

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