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Elgin Middlesex Woodland Association
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting for the Elgin Middlesex Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot Association will take place at the following:
WHERE: Shedden Keystone Complex, 35921 Talbot Line, Shedden, ON
DATE: Saturday March 29, 2025
TIME: 10:30AM - 4:30PM
View the agenda: EMWA AGM 2025 .pdf
IMPORTANT!
After purchasing your ticket, click here to register for your workshops. Workshops are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to register as soon as you complete your purchase.
Join us at the 2025 Kawartha Woodlot Expo on Saturday, April 5th, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Fleming College, Frost Campus in Lindsay, Ontario.
Enjoy hands-on workshops, expert talks, and networking opportunities focused on woodlot ownership, forest stands, and sustainable forestry. Lunch, refreshments, and free parking are included, along with a silent auction and raffle prizes.
8:30 a.m. – Registration & Refreshments
9:00 a.m. – Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:15 a.m. – Keynote Speaker: Benjamin Walters Topic: "Making the Learning Real with the Help of a Little Blue and Yellow Bird"
10:00 a.m. – Coffee Break & Networking
10:15 a.m. – Morning Workshops
12:00 p.m. – Lunch & Exhibits
1:15 p.m. – Afternoon Workshops
2:45 p.m. – Chainsaw Draw & Silent Auction Winners
Learn maintenance and safe handling. (Capacity: 20)
Log Scaling & Sawmill Basics*
Operate the sawmill and take home sawn lumber. (Capacity: 20)
Tree Marking Tools
Learn sustainable forestry practices. (Capacity: 10)
Weather Sticks
Make a weather stick to predict rain or snow. (Capacity: 20)
How to Eat a Forest
Sample wild foods and learn foraging tips. (Capacity: 20)
Forestry Simulators
Try heavy equipment simulators. (Capacity: 10, Age 13+)
The Woodlot Un-Workshop
Open Q&A with forestry experts. (Capacity: 30)
Guided Arboretum Walk
Identify trees through bark and bud features. (Capacity: 20)
Forest Bathing
Mindful nature walk. (Capacity: 15)
*PPE is required for starred workshops. Please bring your own if possible. If you don’t have any, it will be provided.
**Please note the Kawartha Chapter AGM will take place post event at 4pm in the Auditorium at Fleming College. You do not have to purchase a ticket to the Expo if you are ONLY attending the AGM**
Topics will include:
• Woodlot Management 101 with Elliott Groen, R.P.F. in Training with Scope, Sustainable Forestry Coordinator, OWA
Please note that there is a $20+HST fee for this event, to help cover lunch and the morning venue rental.
For more info: john.pineau@ontariowoodlot.com or 705-358-4261
Morning: Lions Club, 325 Fraserburg Road, Bracebridge(by the fairgrounds).
Afternoon: Woodlot of Monika and Paul Strak, 1074 Staunton Road, Bracebridge.
Chainsaw Safety, Filing and Maintenance Course
April 12, 2025
The Quinte Chapter is pleased to offer a one day chainsaw safety course that is appropriate for beginners to seasoned chainsaw operators of both battery and gas-powered saws and is suitable for both women and men. Students can expect to learn and understand how to sharpen, inspect, maintain and operate a chainsaw.
Location: Centre Hastings, Madoc, Ontario
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Participants are required to bring the following:
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Saturday, April 12, 2025
Safety, Filing and Maintenance Course
Classroom component - consists of several videos and discussions around PPE, chainsaw maintenance, safe chainsaw handling, chainsaw sharpening, notching and back cutting and dealing with problem trees. Participants will also be taking their chainsaws apart and learning how to maintain them.
Instructor: Marvin Kellar
Marvin has been working in the forest industry for over 30 years, currently as an instructor at Loyalist College, and has been teaching the course there for over 20 years. He is an approved trainer through the Ministry of Labour and provide certificates of completion to participants. Marvin has also provided training for Ontario Parks, OPG, OPP, Fire Departments, Snowmobile Clubs, Golf Clubs, Township Crews, and others.
COST:
Course Member Cost: $110.00
Non-Member Cost: $189.00 ($110.00 plus $79.00 OWA membership)
Registration Deadline is 15 March 2025. Please register and pay at online https://owat.wildapricot.org/event-6099092 or e-transfer to quintewoodlotassociation@gmail.com.
Further information, please text (preferred method) or call Robert Wood at 306-630-6316.
Chainsaw Safety and Operation Course
April 12 & 13, 2025
The Quinte Chapter is pleased to offer a weekend series of chainsaw workshops that is appropriate for beginners to seasoned chainsaw operators of both battery and gas-powered saws and is suitable for both women and men.
This 2-day in-class and outdoor practical course provides successful students with a Certificate. Students can expect to learn and understand:
The course consists of a classroom session on Saturday (Day 1) and a practical session involving tree felling on Sunday (Day 2). The number of participants for the two- day course will be limited to 12 people. Resultantly, the workshop will be offered to OWA members first, and then to likeminded conservation groups in the area.
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Certificate Chainsaw Safety and Operation Course
Day One: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Day Two: Sunday, April 13, 2025
8:30 AM – 4:30ish PM
Cutting Day
This workshop is valuable for those wishing to gain more experience to felling various trees on their woodlot. This workshop provides hands on experience in the safe and efficient use of a chainsaw including, proper holding, starting, handling, kickback, felling limbing and bucking. Participants will learn to predict which way a tree will fall, and how to safely fell a tree under various situations.
Notes:
Full Course Member Cost: $230.00
Non-Member Cost: $309.00 ($230.00 plus $79.00 OWA membership)
Registration Deadline is 15 March 2025. Please register and pay online at https://owat.wildapricot.org/event-6102343 or e-transfer to quintewoodlotassociation@gmail.com.
Register
The knowledge gained in this workshop will allow participants to build their air pruning beds in the spring, summer, or early fall, in time for starting trees this fall.
Deadline for OWA Award Submissions
April 15, 2025
Harry Barr Award
Ken Armson Professional Award
Lorax Award
Read the award descriptions here and download the nomination form.
Submit to: Dorothy Hamilton sdgowawood@gmail.com or Kerry Coleman kerrycoleman51@gmail.com
Join Huron Perth OWA members for a tour of the Bannockburn Tract, a forest property owned and managed by the County of Huron.
Lunch will be at noon at the Stanley Community Centre in Varna followed by our AGM, OWA updates, and raffles.
Enjoy a walk after lunch on the Varna Nature Trails located behind the Community Centre.
Spring Tour
The 2025 Spring Tour for the Elgin Middlesex Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot Association will take place at the following:
WHERE: Springwater Conservation Area, 44719 Conservation Line, Aylmer, ON
DATE: Saturday May 10, 2025
TIME: 1:30PM - 3:30PM
REGISTER
Welcome to the 2025 Ontario Biodiversity Summit!
When: May 21-22nd, 2025
Where: Trent University, Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, Ontario.
Standard registration is $425. Student registration is $200. Single-day registration is $300. All applicable taxes are included.
Our application form for a reduced registration fee of $325 is available here. This reduced rate is intended to support people from under-represented groups who would not otherwise be able to participate in the Summit.
READ THE UPDATED PROGRAM HERE
The 2025 Ontario Biodiversity Summit: Our turning point for nature will bring people together to build a future where biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and people live in harmony with nature.
Join us at the summit to find common threads between different sectors, areas of expertise and knowledge systems and weave them together to help build our turning point for nature. The summit and its outcomes will also drive implementation of Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy and its 13 targets and 43 priority actions.
The 2025 Ontario Biodiversity Summit will be an in-person event, to maximize networking and collaboration. It will include a mix of plenary content, workshops, concurrent sessions and networking activities, all located on the Trent University campus. Summit content and sessions will be offered in English. Do you require accessibility information? Please get in touch.
Delegates who received a letter of invitation can use the event registration code to confirm their attendance and register for the 2025 IMFN Global Forum.
IMFN members and supporters who have not received an invitation letter to attend the 2025 IMFN Global Forum will be invited to attend the Global Landscapes Forum Ottawa online. This free event welcomes everyone from wherever you are in the world to explore innovative, community-led solutions for sustainable forest stewardship. Discover local successes, connect with forest leaders, and shape actionable strategies for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and equitable development.
We hope you join us virtually on May 27, 2025. Register to join online.
Visit the 2025 IMFN Global forum webpage for the latest updates: https://www.ontariowoodlot.com/Canada2025/
Join us for an exciting annual event, the Ontario Woodlot Association's (OWA) 32nd Annual Woodlot Tour and Conference, co-hosted by the Lower Ottawa Valley Chapter in Kemptville, Ontario.
The Annual Woodlot Tour and Conference is the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and gain valuable insights. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this event offers a unique chance to network, learn, and grow. Expect engaging presentations, an interactive trade show, and thought-provoking discussions.
Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to expand your knowledge and make lasting connections. Mark your calendar and join us at the 32nd Annual Woodlot Tour and Conference in Kemptville, Ontario!
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Note: A waitlist has been enabled for Full Conference tickets for the 32nd Annual Woodlot Tour and Conference. Please email p.milne@ontariowoodlot.com to sign up for the waitlist. A modest number of waitlisted individuals will be allowed into the event. A limited number of single event tickets are still available for the tour on May 28 and the plenary and annual meeting on May 29.
Please be prepared to select your preferred tour when registering. Each tour has limited capacity, so we encourage early registration to secure your spot. Additional information is available on the 2025 Conference webpage.
Pre-registration is required for the Annual Woodlot Tour and Conference.
Information about the post-conference field tour to Petawawa Research Forest on May 30, 2025 will be shared to registrants in early April.
Registration is non-refundable and subject to HST.
Note: The International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum has a separate registration page. Instructions to register are included in the letter of invitation. Individuals must receive a letter of invitation to attend the IMFN Global Forum.
Post-Conference Field Tour at Petawawa Research Forest
Update: Registration for the post-conference field tour to Petawawa Research Forest on May 30, 2025 will be shared to registrants in early April.
The Petawawa Research Forest (PRF) is located in Chalk River, Ontario in the Ottawa Valley, approximately 175 km northwest of Ottawa. As a living laboratory, the PRF has a long legacy of providing scientific data that informs researchers, scientists, and industry about long-term trends to help address forestry issues now and in the future.
Highlights of the tour will include visits to several active research installations and on-going scientific studies, including: Permanent Sample Plots (PSP) 1 and 2, the first PSPs established in Canada (1918); the adaptive silviculture for climate change sites, fire behaviour and ecology studies; the forest biomass study; and white pine regeneration and competition management. A stop at the PRF’s Centennial Bridge, the first engineered wood forest access (logging) road bridge constructed in Ontario, will also be included.
The post-conference tour is planned to last ten hours, including a four-hour round-trip bus ride from Kemptville to the PRF, through the scenic and transitioning farms to the rugged forests of the Ottawa Valley.
Those registered to attend the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum or the 32nd Annual Woodlot Tour and Conference will be given priority to register and attend. Registration is planned to open by early spring.
Click here for more information.
Ontario Woodlot Association
10 Campus Dr., Unit 4
Kemptville, Ontario
K0G 1J0
Phone: 613-713-1525 Email: info@ontariowoodlot.com
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