Frederick County Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour

Name: Frederick County Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tour
Start: 2025-10-17T08:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-17T16:30:00-04:00
Location: Alson H Smith Jr Agricultural Research & Extension Center

Schedule

Fri Oct 17 2025 at 08:00 am to 04:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Alson H Smith Jr Agricultural Research & Extension Center | Blacksburg, VA

$45/person; $80/couple includes transportation and lunch
Frederick County not only boasts the northern most point in the Commonwealth but also a diversity of farms and forests equal to anywhere with a powerful history from Native American influence to Civil War scars. Past and present land uses have shaped and continue to influence the region. This story will weave through the sites we will visit from mountain forestry to the threatened wood turtle habitat.
Stop 1: Mountain Forestry at Devils Backbone State Forest. This relatively new 700 acre state forest that is just over the county line in Shenandoah is steep, beautiful, and under active management for timber and wildlife. Both natural and artificial regeneration are on display since a timber harvest in 2018 and an improvement thinning for better hardwood growth & habitat. The view alone is worth the effort.
Lunch: Farm fresh with a story @ West Oaks Farm Market
Stop 2: Landfall Lodge. Many conservation practices at this popular wedding venue likely go unnoticed by most lovebirds. But feathered friends, turtles “of greatest conservation need”, and many other wildlife species, game and non-game, really LOVE this place! The pollinator meadow is more than a photo-spot, it’s a valuable habitat along Hogue creek. This farm and several nearby lands support the greatest concentration of threated wood turtles in the world. These animals can live up to 80 years in the wild.
FREDERICK COUNTY CONTINUED
Stop 3: Franklin Tract & Timber. This relatively small tract of woodland has received lots of attention for timber and wildlife management. With any luck, we’ll get to not only talk about hardwood management for timber and wildlife but also see a timber harvest in action that is in accordance with the landowner’s management plan. Oh, and we might learn what bats have to do with it all.
For more information contact:
Adam Downing, 540-948-6881, [email protected]
Please register by noon, October 10