OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The Kansas chapter of the Walnut Council will host its annual field day June 2 at the Overland Park Arboretum, a botanical garden that features 13 gardens and more than 1,700 plant species.
The program begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues through the afternoon. The registration fee is $15, which includes morning refreshments, lunch and other activities. The arboretum is located at 8909 W. 179th Street in Overland Park.
The Walnut Council is a non-profit international organization that represents more than 1,000 woodland owners, foresters, ecologists, scientists, and wood-producing industries. Their mission focuses on transferring the best science and research available in the growth and care of black walnut, other fine quality trees, and related natural resources that provide wildlife habitat, recreation, water quality and forest products.
The 300-acre arboretum and botanical garden offers miles of hiking trails that traverse rocky bluffs and bottomland paths along Wolf Creek. The native woodlands and prairie provide a variety of wildlife viewing opportunities.
This event will include:
- woodland wildflower and tree identification hikes by experts from the Kansas Native Plant Society;
- sawmill demonstrations from Kansas Forest Service and private mill operators;
- wildlife management and deer damage control from K-State Research and Extension;
- sessions on improving woodland health and productivity;
- diagnosing and controlling tree health issues; and
- streambank and water quality management.
Participants will be divided into groups of 15 to 20 people, and each group will have a designated leader who will guide participants to session locations.
More information and registration is available online at www.kansasforests.org/events/news_docs/calendar/WCFD2017.pdf
Interested persons may also call the Kansas Forest Service at 785-532-3310 or send e-mail to Bob Atchison, atchison@ksu.edu.
— Bob Atchison, rural forestry coordinator, Kansas Forest Service
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