FOREST HEALTH WORKSHOPS AND EDUCATION IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS

Increasingly, forest owners in the Olympic rainshadow region of the San Juan Islands are seeking guidance on how to manage their overstocked stands for improved forest health. They are also looking for creative ways to use the excess woody material that is a byproduct of restoration efforts. For the past seven years, NNRG and our partners have worked in many San Juan Island forests, conducting one-on-one site visits, developing management plans, and hosting tours and classes. We are working with landowners to address the unique challenges of managing island forests for both ecological health and economic viability.

Video of Forest Health Workshop

In August 2020, NNRG hosted the workshop Improving Forest Health and Fire Resistance in a Changing Climate. Participants at the workshop learned how to evaluate forest conditions, select trees for harvesting, and utilize woody biomass for forest health and biochar production. A full recording of that workshop, which took place in a San Juan Island forest, is available below.

San Juan Forest Service Providers Directory – updated 2021

Our San Juan County Forestry Products and Businesses Directory will help you find and collaborate with logging contractors, equipment operators, arborists, tree workers, woodworkers, builders, architects, and consultants. The directory is updated periodically (last update October 2021).

Biomass & Biochar Resources

• Biochar Market Analysis for San Juan County and the Pacific Northwest – This study examines the state of the biochar industry in San Juan County and the greater Pacific Northwest to understand if biochar is a growing market, and what potential exists for expansion.
• Biochar Production for Forestry, Farms, and Communities – An overview of biochar as solution for agricultural soil fertility and greenhouse gas accumulation with case studies from San Juan County.
• SJC Woody Biomass Assessment – A supply and demand assessment of woody biomass in the San Juan Islands.
• Woody Biomass Production Methods – An overview of different ways forest landowners can use and manufacture woody biomass in their woodlands.
• How to Measure Woody Biomass in Your Forest – This guidebook provides landowners with a practical inventory system for estimating the volume of timber and woody biomass in their forest. By using these guidelines, landowners can more easily collect information to inform their forest management decisions. 
• Woody Biomass / Carbon Calculator – This calculator tool allows forest owners to convert basic tree measurements and forest data into estimates of timber and biomass volumes. 

Past Projects

For the past several years, NNRG has hosted a series of workshops for forest landowners interested in reducing the risks of wildfire and disease to their woods while using the excess woody biomass in creative and productive ways. Past workshops include: 

• Improving Forest Health & Fire Resistance in a Changing Climate
• Timber Harvesting on Waldron: What You Need To Know
• Shaw Island Forests: Management Options for Health & Fire Resilience
• How to Manufacture Biochar from Woody Biomass
• Measuring Timber and Woody Biomass in San Juan Forests
• Forest Tour: Thinning Overstocked Stands for Health and Productivity
• Utilizing Woody Biomass to Reduce Fire Risk
• Biochar 101: Making Biochar from Woody Biomass
• Energy Opportunities for Woody Biomass
• Hands-On Forestry for San Juans Woodlands
• Emerging Biofuel Options for San Juan Forests
• Small-scale logging & yarding for the DIY woodland owner
• How to Manage a Timber Sale

Project Partners

Project Funding

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2018-70027-28587. We’d also like to thank the USDA Risk Management Agency for their long-time support.