Virginia Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the Southwest Virginia Chapter of the Society of American Foresters and other members of the forest industry, is offering an environmental education opportunity for teachers from July 10-13.

The Trees to Products program is designed to correlate with the Virginia Standards of Learning for grades K – 12. It awards 30 hours of professional development credits for participants, along with Project Learning Tree certification.

“We are pleased to offer this program for teachers again this year,” said Bill Worrell, Extension agent for forestry and natural resources in Southwest Virginia. “This is an excellent opportunity for teachers to get an in-the-field tour of sustainable forest-management techniques, as well as professional development credits, at a very low cost.”

Teachers will tour key forest-industry sites to learn about sustainable forest management. They will also learn about how forests provide wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities, and the importance of forests in view-shed and water-quality efforts.  Participants will see how trees are converted into a variety of everyday products.

In addition, teachers will receive Project Learning Tree® certification at the completion of the course. Project Learning Tree is a multidisciplinary environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation for educators of students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.

Participants pay a $25 registration fee for the four-day conference. The costs of all meals, transportation, and lodging are provided by the sponsors, with the exception of transportation to the conference headquarters at the Best Western in Wise, Va. For more information or to register, contact Bill Worrell at (276) 889-8056 or bworrell@vt.edu.

-Submitted by Bill Worrell, Extension Agent