Tree farmers pine for tips at national convention event
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Although Pittsburgh will host a majority of this year’s National Tree Farmer Convention events, the finale will be held around a more than 300-year-old oak in Washington County.
“We want everyone here to leave saying, ‘Ooh, aah,'” Maureen Burnham said, in anticipation of the field day at Burnham Woodlot.
John and Maureen Burnham, field day organizers, expect more than 200 convention attendees to trek across their woodlot Saturday. Participants can traverse 40 educational stations over the 600-acre property in West Finley Township. The event is exclusive to those registered for the convention.
The convention opened Thursday in downtown Pittsburgh. Over the first two days, participants are attending events throughout the city, from a visit to Pittsburgh’s Botanical Gardens to a Pirates game, while exchanging tips with greenery enthusiasts and attending educational sessions.
Field day will draw presenters from various backgrounds.
Presentations occur throughout the day, focusing on healthy forest management, invasive pest control, small-scale harvesting, genetics, habitat development and recreation. Among the cycle of informational sessions are a guide to wildflowers in the Burnhams’ field of tall grass and a tour of the Burnhams’ bat house, hosted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Speakers also will address the future of tree farming, which includes a presentation on the utilization of drones in agriculture and a visit from the Pennsylvania Woodmobile, an 18-wheel truck with wood trinkets designed to educate another generation of tree farmers.
Attendees are free to hike about farm.
“Tree farmers are independent folk,” John Burnham said. “They can get (to the woodlot) and do what they want to do.”
The Burnhams have assembled about 120 volunteers, including members of the Southwest Pennsylvania Woodland Owners, retired tree farmers, Penn State Extension representatives, as well as family and friends.
Honored to host Saturday’s festivities, Maureen Burnham could not be more grateful for the extra hands.
“(Friends and neighbors) would come to us saying, ‘Can we help?’ And we’d say, ‘OK.'”