The 23rd Annual Tree Farm Conference will be held February 22 at the Country Club Hotel at Lake of the Ozarks, which will address landowner concerns and questions about private forest management. An educational field trip for people pre-registered for the conference will be held at a private property in the Lake Ozark area on the afternoon of Feb. 21.
Conference workshop topics will include forest health, red oak borer, forest farming, farm bill update, cost share assistance for landowners and a timber update.
The awards ceremony will include the presentation of awards for regional and state tree farmer of the year. Also at the ceremony, families that have operated tree farms for 50 and 100 years will receive silver and gold tree farm certificates.
Registration will begin at 7 a.m., and the conference will adjourn at 4 p.m. Foresters and other professionals will be available at the opening continental breakfast to visit with landowners. Pre-registration is encouraged. The fee for the Saturday conference and luncheon is $45 and includes the Friday afternoon field trip.
For more information, contact Julie Rhoads, University of Missouri, 203 ABNR Building, Columbia, MO 65211, 573/882-3234, email RhoadsJ@missouri.edu.
