The ice storm in early December of 2008 left a lot of Windham County residents awestruck and confused. The beauty of the ice on those sparkling sunny days after the storm made for spectacular views, yet the amount of damage to favorite trees and woods occupying those views made for very mixed feelings, to say the least. Many residents have been wondering what to do about all those broken trees in the back yard and the “back 40” and soon they will get answers to their questions.

The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, the Windham County Woodland Owners Association, and the Vermont Land Trust are teaming up to present a workshop on ice storm recovery at the end of the month. Everyone is invited to come up to Ragle Hall at Marlboro College on Saturday, March 28 for a free workshop which will run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

The first half of the workshop will be inside presentations by Pieter van Loon, Vermont Land Trust Stewardship Forester, Bill Guenther, the Windham County Forester, Ron Kelley, a Forest Protection Specialist with the Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, and Scott Knapp, certified arborist with Bartlett Tree Experts.

Topics will include why the storm damage was so patchy, what we learned from the 1998 ice storm up north that can help us now, what to do about your yard trees, and how to manage your woodlot to facilitate its recovery and help minimize damage from the next ice storm. There will then be an outdoor session with walks around the Marlboro College campus and surrounding woodland to apply the lessons learned in the indoor session using real world examples.

Although registration is not required, the sponsors are trying to get a head count, so they would appreciate it if you would call the County Forester’s office to let them know you will be attending. That phone number is 257-7967 x15. You will also be able to call this number on the day of the workshop if the weather is bad to see if the workshop will be postponed.