The Atkinson Conservation Commission is hosting the always-popular Tree and Plant Identification Workshop with County Forester Greg Jordan on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the Woodlock Trails in Atkinson’s Chadwick Town Forest at 9:00 AM. The workshop will last until about 10:30 or 11:00 or so, and the rain date is Saturday, July 1.

Do you know the difference between a Red Oak and a Black Oak? How about a White Oak? How about a Gray, White, or Yellow Birch? Or a Sugar Maple and a Norway Maple? (The Norway Maple is an invasive tree from central Europe that was brought to this country in the early 1900s as an urban tree that resists road salt, but has begun to dominate parts of our natural environment.) For the smaller stuff, what does a high-bush blueberry look like? How about Hawthorne? Or Maple Viburnum? Can you tell these apart from Bittersweet, Burning Bush, Japanese Barberry, Multiflora Rose, or Glossy Buckthorn? These are all invasive plants, by the way. And how about Poison Ivy? That is one to be avoided!

This will be an educational, family-friendly, easy walk. The Chadwick Town Forest is home for the wonderful Atkinson Fit Trail, among others, and we will explore the plant life that lives there. At this time of year, the forest is bursting with trees, new vegetation, new wildlife habitat, and it is beautiful – come join us!

Greg is Rockingham County’s Forestry Field Specialist. A New Hampshire licensed forester, Greg joined UNH Cooperative Extension in 2017. Prior to joining UNH, he spent more than a decade working as a consulting forester in southern New Hampshire and Maine. With lots of on-the-ground forestry and wildlife management experience, he provides landowners, communities, and others with advice on managing woodlots and caring for community forests and trees.

We will meet at the Woodlock Park parking area, at the end of Woodlock Road, which is off Westside Drive in Atkinson. The event is family-friendly and is free, but registration is required as space is limited.