The Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program’s (VFLEP) Short Course Series now includes a course, Forest and Farmland Conservation Strategies. It will be held on June 15 at the Southern Piedmont Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station in Blackstone, Va.

Speakers will include Nikki Rovner, deputy secretary of natural resources; Gary Heiser, Virginia Department of Forestry superintendent of state forests; Kevin Schmidt, coordinator, Office of Farmland Preservation; and Jesse Richardson, a professor in the School of Urban Affairs and Planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies

The afternoon will feature a panel discussion of preservation and conservation options.

The course aims to introduce people to the many tools available to help them conserve their forests. Topics that will be covered include Agricultural and Forestal Districts, conservation easements and land trusts, and comprehensive planning/zoning/subdivision ordinances. This course, like others in the program, lasts six to nine hours and is offered in a workshop setting.

VFLEP is a Virginia Cooperative Extension Program through the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech. The goal is to develop and put into practice educational opportunities for Virginia’s private forest landowners. Program sponsors include the Virginia Tech Department of Forestry, the Forest Stewardship Program administered by the Virginia Department of Forestry, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The College of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech consistently ranks among the top five programs of its kind in the nation. Faculty members stress both the technical and human elements of natural resources and instill in students a sense of stewardship and land-use ethics. Areas of studies include environmental resource management, fisheries and wildlife sciences, forestry, geospatial and environmental analysis, natural resource recreation, urban forestry, wood science and forest products, geography, and international development.

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