Story by: Sarah Cameron, Forestry Program Assistant

Clackamas Tree School is the largest education event for woodland owners in the Pacific Northwest, providing about 75 classes for 650 participants annually. Core classes at Tree School support successful woodland management for a diversity of landowner objectives. Because of the COVID pandemic, Tree School has looked a bit different in the past few years. In-person classes shifted to virtual learning, including the 54-part Tree School Online series (beav.es/treeschoolonline). Since launching in 2020, the Tree School Online webinars have reached over 25,000 viewers.

On October 8, 2022, we held our first-ever Tree School Field Day at the Hopkins Demonstration Forest. Outdoor learning stations were scattered across the forest with classes like Ponds for Wildlife Habitat at the fire ponds, Wildfire and Defensible Space under the fire tower, and Tree Thinning and Pruning at the amphitheater. In total we had 120 students register, 14 instructors teach 11 unique topics, and 18 volunteers help us pull the day together. It was an incredible success, and we look forward to hosting another Tree School Field Day in the fall of 2023.

After a 3-year pause due to COVID, Tree School will be returning to Clackamas Community College on Saturday, March 25, 2023. Tree School catalogs will be mailed in January and registration will open in early February. We look forward to welcoming back many returning Tree School instructors, volunteers, and students alike for the 33rd year of Tree School in Clackamas County. We hope to see you there!