September and October have passed in a flash. Over the course of those 2 months, I visited (almost) every nook and cranny of Virginia. From the sparsely populated King & Queen County (with fewer residents today than in 1790), to the most populous city in the commonwealth, Virginia Beach; from 23 feet in elevation (also Virginia Beach) to almost 4,200 feet on High Knob Tower in Wise County (home of the elusive Wood Booger); from the top of Massanutten Mountain in Shenandoah County (my first enclosed synclinorium), to the top of Hogback Mountain in Bland County. I’ve toured longleaf, Eastern white, loblolly, and shortleaf pine plantations, naturally regenerated Appalachian hardwood forests, pollinator plantings, timber harvests, and a flooring mill. I’ve shared wonderful locally catered meals with hundreds of you.
That’s a long-winded way of saying my job is awesome. Virginia is an amazingly beautiful and diverse place with fabulous people. So, to all of you who host our programs on your lands (I know it’s a lot of work), to all of you who help plan the programs, to all of you who speak at them, and to all of you who attend them – thank you! Our team could not do this without you. And of course, as always, a huge thank you to the wonderful team of colleagues I work with.
If you were unable to join us for a tour, you can take a virtual one. And please plan on joining us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fall Forestry & Wildlife Field Tours October 20-23, 2026.
We are wrapping up our 2025 landowner education programming this month and are busy planning our 2026 programs.
