Forestry for Naturalists
Thursday–Friday, May 21–22, 2026
Instructor: Ethan Tapper & Sean Beckett
Cost: $250
Size: 20 Students
How can cutting down a tree be a radical act of compassion? This course explores the complex, nuanced, and sometimes contradictory world of ecological forestry. We’ll explore how active management techniques like logging can be used to enhance biodiversity, improve forest health, and heal landscapes impacted by centuries of exploitation. And we’ll see when it’s appropriate to let a resilient forest manage itself.
We’ll spend the weekend visiting several sites in the Green Mountains and Champlain Valley managed by Ethan Tapper, and see examples of successful treatments and key concepts in the ecological forester’s toolbox: forest management for habitat diversity, restoring highgraded forests, mimicking old growth conditions, watershed restoration and erosion control, resilient trail and road design, aggressive management of invasive species from deer to beech to barberry, sugarbush management, cultivating the “necrosphere,” and more. Along the way, we’ll examine the ecological dynamics unfolding at each site, from bedrock to botany to birds.
Course Details
Goals and Objectives
- Visit two field sites post-silvicultural treatment to compare and contrast how different forestry techniques have yielded different ecological outcomes.
- Examine the most common practices employed by ecological foresters to achieve biodiversity and ecological resilience goals.
- Discuss how foresters make decisions to account for various opportunities and threats to forest health.
- Spend quality time immersed in beautiful and diverse landscapes.
About the Instructor
Ethan Tapper is a forester, birder, naturalist and digital creator, and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest. He has been recognized as a thought-leader and a disruptor in the forestry and conservation community of the northeastern United States and beyond, winning multiple regional and national awards for his work. Ethan runs a consulting forestry business – Bear Island Forestry – is a regular contributor to Northern Woodlands magazine and a variety of other publications, and is a digital creator with tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. In his personal life, Ethan works, writes, hunts and birds at Bear Island – his 175-acre working forest, homestead, orchard and sugarbush.
Sean Beckett is the Program Director at North Branch Nature Center, where he develops and instructs programs ranging from weekend botany classes to birdwatching trips across the globe. He designed the Winooski Headwaters chapter of the Vermont Master Naturalist Program and teaches nature-based educator institutes. For years, Sean was based in Wyoming as a field ornithologist and wildlife guide in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. He earned his masters degree from UVM’s Field Naturalist Program. Follow him on Instagram.
Recommended Reading
- Tapper. 2024. How to Love a Forest. Book.
- D’Amato & Catanzaro. 2022. Restoring Old Growth Characteristics. PDF.
- D’Amato & Catanzaro. 2019. Forest Carbon: An Essential Natural Solution to Climate Change. PDF
- D’Amato et al. 2016. Increasing Forest Resiliency for an Uncertain Future. PDF.
Meals & Lodging
We will provide coffee, tea, and light breakfast fare (pastries, etc.) on our first morning at NBNC. Participants should bring their own lunches and snacks. Camping is available onsite at NBNC by request.
Location & Timing
Course begins 9 AM on Thursday at North Branch Nature Center. Course begins on Friday at 9 AM at Hinesburg Town Forest. Course concludes by 5 PM on Friday in Hinesburg.
Physical Requirements
Participants must be able to walk 2-3 miles over the course of each day on steep and uneven terrain, often muddy and off trail. Participants should be comfortable outside in potentially hot, cold, muggy, wet, and/or buggy conditions for long periods of time. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about mobility and/or other accessibility needs.
Academic Credit & Professional Development
This course may qualify for 1 graduate-level credit for an additional $200 course fee. All BioU courses are accredited by Castleton University. Participants interested in receiving credit must contact us in advance so we have time to arrange course accreditation. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that home institutions will accept the credit. Participants pursuing academic credit will be required to complete an additional assignment above and beyond the course hours, including literature review, reflective writing, or a field-based project.
This course qualifies for 20 hours of professional development hours and continuing education units. Certificates of completion are provided at the conclusion of the course.
Financial Support
We have financial support available for most courses! Please head to our Financial Support page to learn more and request financial support. Support is limited, but we do our best to make sure that participants are not turned away for financial reasons. Since many courses fill quickly, we suggest submitting your financial support request after registering for the course if you are able. Or you may email us after submitting your request to ask us to temporarily hold a space for you.
Cancellation Policy
While we realize that unexpected circumstances arise that are out of our control, North Branch Nature Center cannot guarantee refunds for registrations cancelled within 30 days of the course. If a cancellation occurs within this window, NBNC will attempt to fill the space from our wait list and provide a full refund. If the course needs to be cancelled by NBNC, we will provide a full refund.