Wood Processing Workshop

Wood Processing From Our Forests Workshop On September 14 from 9:00 am to Noon, the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is sponsoring a wood processing workshop at a 110 acre woodlot near Bloserville. The utilization of standing timber and sawing techniques using a portable sawmill and wood processing equipment will be demonstrated. You do not have to be a member of the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association to attend and there is no cost for the workshop. The workshop will be at a woodlot owned by Robert Drawbaugh and is located at 150 Church of God Road, Newville, PA 17241. To get to the woodlot from the intersection of Route 233 and 641 in Newville, take 641 east 3.7 miles and turn left onto Bloserville Road. Proceed 3.3 miles to a stop sign in Bloserville. Go Straight onto Enola Road (944 East). Proceed 1 mile and continue straight onto Church of God Road. Proceed for 0.6 of a mile to a left turn at first place on left after white church. You have arrived at the Drawbaugh property. Sometimes woodlot owners want to or need to harvest some timber from their woods. This is the time when you can improve your woods for the future or cause real damage from which it might not recover for generations. Portable sawmills can be economically beneficial to private landowners who have small volumes of timber which need to be salvaged or harvested. The end-product from a portable sawmill is quality lumber which can be either sold at a profit or used to meet a landowner’s personal needs. The program on September 14 will demonstrate timber management practices that are sustainable, produce income, and help meet the goals of a woodlot owner’s Forest Stewardship Plan. A guide titled, “Small Woodlot Harvesting” is available on-line from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help woodland owners plan sustainable timber harvest operations (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/pdfs/WWI.pdf). This publication is a guide for landowners, land managers and forest products operators derived from the study of biologic, social and economic aspects of small scale harvesting. The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association is organization of private forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. The mission of the association is to provide information, education and an exchange of ideas to its members and others about the methods and benefits of proper forest management. For more information about the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association and the meeting, contact Fred Peabody at 717/776-3565 (email: fredp5@earthlink.net).