Indigo bunting in pine forest. Photo by Barbara Driscoll, New Hope Bird Alliance.

NC State Extension Forestry and the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension encourage forest landowners in the piedmont region to attend our upcoming Piedmont Forest Landowners’ Summit. The workshop will be on October 7, 2025 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro, NC.

A diverse group of speakers will present on a variety of topics related to forestry, conservation, and wildlife.

Featured Presentations:

Timber Harvesting Options for Landowners
Jameson Boone, Forest Management Specialist, NC State Extension

Realities of and Strategies for the Timber Markets of the Piedmont
Bryan Hulka, Markets & Utilization Forester, North Carolina Forest Service

Intro to Agroforestry and Forest Farming
Debbie Roos, Sustainable Agriculture Agent, Chatham County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension

Forest Invasive Plants: Identification and Management Options
Colby Lambert, Area Specialized Agent, N.C. Cooperative Extension

Triangle Prescribed Burn Association and Benefits of Prescribed Fire
Mart Bumgarner, Agriculture Agent, Orange County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension
Jennifer Fawcett, Extension Specialist & SERPPAS Prescribed Fire Work Group Coordinator, NC State Extension

The Good, The Bad, and the Bugly: When to Worry About Tree Pests
Kelly Oten, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University

Improving Wildlife Habitat on your Forestland
John Isenhour, Wildlife Habitat Coordinator, NC Wildlife Commission

Enhancing your Forest for Eastern Forest Birds
Hannah Pursley, Urban Forestry Program Manager, Audubon North Carolina

See Presenter Bios

The Summit will also feature a Panel of Experts and Landowners:

• Bob Bardon – Associate Dean for Extension and Professor, College of Natural Resources, NC State University
• Mark Bost – Consulting Forester
• Barry Bowling – Wake County Landowner
• Emma Childs, Working Lands Manager, Triangle Land Conservancy
• Brandon Szilvay – Chatham County Ranger, NC Forest Service

See Panel Member Bios

The summit will also feature exhibitors representing a variety of non-profit and governmental forestry organizations:

• Arborgen
• Chatham County Tax Office – Forestry PUV Program
• Farm Service Agency
• ForestHer NC
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• NC FarmLink
• NC Forest Service
• NC State Extension Forestry
• NC Tree Farm Program
• NC Wildlife Resources Commission
• New Hope Bird Alliance
• Soil & Water Conservation District
• Triangle Land Conservancy
• Triangle Prescribed Burn Association

We have applied for 4.5 hours of CFEs and expect to be approved.

Pre-registration is required. The deadline for registration is October 2. The cost for the summit is $35 and includes a light breakfast and catered lunch.

Register for the October 7 Forestry Summit.

Presenter Bios

Jameson Boone
Jameson Boone is a Forestry Extension Specialist at NC State University and a Registered Forester. His expertise includes managing healthy timber, prescribed burning, cost-share programs, chainsaw safety, and forestry issues affecting landowners. Dedicated to sustainable forest management, he works with landowners to help them steward their forestland for long-term health, productivity, and resilience. He has a M.S. and B.S. in Forest Management from NC State University.

Mart Bumgarner
Mart Bumgarner, a North Carolinian, Received AAS in Agri-Business at Catawba Valley Tech, and a BS in General Agriculture from Tennessee Technical University in 1988. Mart served in the US Army as an Armor Officer where he spent 26+ years before retiring in 2014 as a lieutenant colonel. Mart attained his MS in Extension Education at North Carolina State University in 2016 and began his extension career as the Crops and Horticulture agent in Orange County. Mart loves his job and thrives giving back to the community by helping the farmer, nurserymen, landscaper, and home owner/gardener alike.

Jennifer Fawcett
Dr. Jennifer Fawcett is an Extension Specialist in wildland fire at NC State Extension. She provides wildland fire coordination, education, and outreach, and has helped to support several Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) in North Carolina and across the Southern region. Jennifer is a co-author of the Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region and is interested in resources and experiential training opportunities that support safe and effective prescribed burning, especially on private lands. She received her Master’s in Forest Resources from Clemson University and her PhD in Agricultural Education & Human Sciences from NC State, with her research focused on adult learning and PBA training needs.

Bryan Hulka
Bryan grew up in Chapel Hill and was a latecomer to forestry. After attending Duke University for his undergraduate degree and law school in California, he saw the error of his ways and received a Master of Forestry from NC State in 1997. From there, he worked two years as a field forester with International Paper and 18 years as a certification manager with Weyerhaeuser, from which he retired. In retirement, he worked part-time with the North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) as the Down East Prescribed Burn Association coordinator. He started back working full time with the NCFS as the Markets & Utilization forester in January of this year.

John Isenhour
John Isenhour currently serves as the Wildlife Habitat Coordinator in the NC Wildlife Commission’s Division of Wildlife Management. In this position he administers the Wildlife Conservation Land Program which offers a property tax deferment for landowners who agree to enhance their property for our native wildlife species. His responsibilities also include representing the Wildlife Commission on the NC Tree Farm and Forest Stewardship Boards as well as filling the role of liaison with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Prior to his current position he was a Wildlife Conservation Biologist and Technical Assistance Biologist providing guidance and assistance for private landowners in the piedmont. John has a bachelor’s degree from NC State University in Wildlife Management and spent 8 years working with the NC Forest Service prior to NCWRC. He enjoys helping friends and family “cautiously experiment” with the management on their properties as well as on his own Rowan County property.

Colby Lambert
Colby Lambert serves an area specialized agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension. His primary responsibility is working with commercial forestry in eastern North Carolina and the Sandhills. Colby works with county agents to provide training in forestry programming and technical assistance for landowners on forest management issues. Colby also works with other governmental agencies and private conservation organizations to provide educational programs for forest landowners and natural resource professionals throughout the state.

Kelly Oten
Dr. Kelly Oten is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Forest Health at NC State University. Kelly has degrees entomology from Texas A&M (B.S.), University of Tennessee (M.S.), and NC State University (Ph.D.). Following graduation, Kelly worked 8 years with the NC Forest Service as Forest Health Monitoring Coordinator and joined NC State Faculty in 2020, where she leads a forest health research and Extension Program. Her program focuses primarily on invasive forest insects, such as the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, and elm zigzag sawfly.

Hannah Pursley
Hannah grew up in a small town south of Charlotte and attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington where she received a BS in Environmental Science. After graduation she worked as a certified arborist in Wilmington for several years before joining Audubon North Carolina as their urban forestry program manager. Conserving birds and the places they need through community engagement, local advocacy, and on-the-ground management is central to Hannah’s urban forestry work in North Carolina. With her life-long passion for environmental conservation, Hannah hopes to create an environment where both people and birds can thrive in our state.

Debbie Roos
Debbie has worked as a Sustainable Agriculture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension for 26 years, most of that time in Chatham County where she is responsible for programming in the areas of organic production, commercial vegetable production, pollinator conservation, beekeeping, and forestry. Debbie worked for three years as an Agroforestry Extension Agent and Technical Trainer for the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa, and later completed graduate degrees in applied anthropology and horticulture at the University of Florida. Debbie delivers educational programming to growers through regular workshops, webinars, and her demonstration Pollinator Paradise Garden.

Panel Member Bios

Bob Bardon
Dr. Robert (Bob) Bardon is a leader in forestry and landowner outreach with over 28 years of experience. As the Associate Dean for Extension and Professor of Forestry at NC State University, he extends research-based knowledge to the public, helping them transform science into everyday solutions. A registered and certified forester, Dr. Bardon has authored over 158 publications and presented his work throughout the United States and internationally. His work has been recognized with 26 honors and awards, including the Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals Distinguished Career Leadership Award. He holds a Ph.D. in Forest Biology from Iowa State University.

Barry Bowling
Barry is a forest landowner located in northern Wake County. He is an active member of former president of the Wake County Wildlife Club and has accomplished wildlife and forest management on his property. This includes prescribed burning, thinning, and wildlife plantings. Barry has worked with the EQIP program through NRCS for funding for his priorities.

Mark Bost
Mark Bost retired from the North Carolina Forest Service after serving in several roles including Service Forester, Water Quality Forester, Assistant District Forester, Assistant Regional Forester, and finally as District Forester. Since retiring three years ago he has worked as a Private Consulting Forester, a Wildlife Biologist with Quail Forever, and as a Habitat Improvement Forester with Three Rivers Land Trust. He also works with the Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association and the Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association. He is a Certified Tree Farm Inspector and a Certified Arborist.  

Emma Childs
Emma hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC and joined TLC in early 2025 as the Working Lands Manager. She finished her graduate degrees at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment in 2024, studying forestry and ecosystem conservation. She spent the last decade farming, working at a community garden to pizza cafe, teaching outdoor education, and organizing grassroots conservation projects. While in graduate school, she interned with the Conservation Trust for NC, the Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project, and Duke Forest. Her silviculture class experience working with SFLRP to write a forest management plan for local landowners was a highlight and helped her realize that supporting landowners is part of her biggest passion. Her master’s thesis focused on the management needs and priorities of female and non-binary forest landowners in NC and explored whether forest cooperatives could be a helpful tool for small acreage landowners. She is delighted to have the soil of the Piedmont under her fingernails and has been enjoying engaging with the vibrant web of relationships in Chatham County.

Brandon Szilvay
Brandon Szilvay was born and raised in Chatham County and has been a Ranger with the NC Forest Service for 12 years, working in Chatham the entire time. He assists landowners with forest management from tree planting to harvest and all the practices in between. Brandon is also responsible for fire suppression during wildfire season around the county.

Photo by Jameson Boone, Forest Management Specialist, NC State Extension.

NC State is an equal opportunity provider. Persons with disabilities and persons with limited English proficiency may request accommodations to participate by contacting Debbie Roos, Ag Extension Agent, at 919.542.8246, debbie_roos@ncsu.edu, or in person at the County Extension Office at least 30 days prior to the event.