Natural Resources Research & Management

Ecological Forestry Workshop

The annual Ecological Forestry Workshop, hosted at The Jones Center at Ichauway in Newton, GA, typically offered during the first week of November, consists of classroom presentations, field tours, and hands-on exercises in the application of ecological forestry practices.

Ecological forestry is a management approach that uses natural disturbance and ecological processes as a guide to silvicultural prescriptions and restoration practices. It seeks to build and maintain a complex forest structure, usually with multiple age classes, meeting a diversity of land management objectives while maintaining conservation values.

Using a foundation of general principles of ecological forestry common to a range of forest types and regions, this workshop focuses on the application of ecological forestry principles on the extensive longleaf pine forests found on Ichauway’s nearly 30,000 acres.

This training program is designed to broaden the awareness of alternatives to production-oriented silviculture for those charged with management and stewardship of natural areas and multiple use properties or landscapes.

Priority for workshop participation will be given to land managers who are responsible for overseeing large-acreage properties, in recognition of the broader impact their management decisions have on landscape-scale conservation and resource stewardship.

Workshop Objectives

Impact Objective: To build skills, knowledge, and capacity of forestry practitioners to understand and apply ecological forestry principles throughout the southeastern USA and to increase the number of acres on which ecological forestry principles are implemented.

We seek to accomplish this by:

  • Providing a foundational and interactive learning experience that allows participants to apply ecological forestry principles with a focus on doing so in the longleaf pine ecosystem.
    1. Review natural disturbance regimes, uneven-aged silvicultural systems, and ecological restoration in longleaf pine ecosystems
    2. Understand how application of ecological forestry principles differ from intensive silviculture
    3. Discuss current issues in natural resource management and how they hinder or promote the implementation of ecological forestry principles
    4. Participate in hands-on exercises applying ecological forestry principles by developing prescriptions and conducting timber marking with feedback from instructors and peers
    5. Understand relevant research to improve and apply ecological forestry principles
    6. Discuss and encourage ways to incorporate elements of ecological forestry into forest management operations
  • Fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for open discussion about managing forests to meet multiple objectives by inviting diverse experience levels, representing a variety of sectors.
  • Facilitating network and relationship-building among natural resource professionals committed to ecological forestry.

Core Instructors

The Jones Center at Ichauway

Joshua Puhlick, Ecological Silviculture
Rachel McGuire, Outreach & Education
Brandon Rutledge, Conservation
Jeffery Cannon, Landscape Ecology

University of Minnesota

Marcella Windmuller-Campione, Forest Resources

Course Fees

The 2026 registration fee of $575 includes three nights of lodging, meals, and course materials.

For More Information

Rachel McGuire, rachel.mcguire@jonesctr.org
Joshua Puhlick, joshua.puhlick@jonesctr.org

WORKSHOP INTEREST FORM

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