Guided introduction into the history of working woodlands in New England. Workshop series begins at nearby Harvard Forest and continues into the home forests at The Farm School. Students examine and learn how to interpret various living landscapes to identify how agricultural practices have changed over time and begin to form their own perspective on how they’d like to care for the woods going forward. Course work includes native plant and tree identification through the seasons and basic map and compass use.

In this workshop, students enter the Farm School wood lot to learn how to select trees for harvest. Students are taught how to maintain or increase the productivity of a wood lot while differentiating between cordwood and timber for harvest. Grading for BTU value and lumber is included. Instruction is also provided in laying out a harvest plan, including landings and skid roads. As a final project, each student marks a section of forest for harvest.

Students complete multi-day Game of Logging Levels 1 - 3 chainsaw safety training courses which include basic chainsaw safety and maintenance, felling, limbing and bucking. Completion of this course is recognized by Game of Logging, an international timber harvesting training program, and provides students with the skills to harvest and process trees safely.

Students hone accumulated skills by continuing the management of the Farm School forests. On an annual basis this includes the selection, marking, felling and processing of 10 cords of firewood and at least 10,000 board feet of lumber. During this time, students will get additional instruction and experience in the operation of the splitter and our band-saw mill, as well as tractor and animal power skidding methods.