Virginia Forestry Summit
May 7-9, 2025
Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke
TOURS & WORKSHOPS
As of 3/27/2025 - Subject to Change
Summit tours and interactive workshops provide experiences that allow participants to learn in a non-seminar setting.
Learn more about these value added options below. Space for both tours and workshops is limited.
Explore Park Tour
Thursday, May 8
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Blue Ridge Chapter of Appalachian SAF worked with Roanoke County to build 1,083 linear feet of trail and recondition 1,963 linear feet of trail in the Explore Park, expanding the Forestry Education Area. Bill Sweeney, SAF will lead a guided tour through the park and how SAF has aided in its development.
VFA will provide transportation for this tour.
Tour fee is $45 Early bird | $60 Regular
Wildfire Mitigation Community Tour
Thursday, May 8
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Join us for an informative tour to a local Firewise USA® community in Montgomery County, located in the wildland/urban interface (WUI). This visit will highlight the community’s proactive wildfire risk reduction efforts through the nationally recognized Firewise USA® program. Attendees will learn about community-based wildfire preparedness strategies, personal and community-wide mitigation plans, and how residents collaborate with the Department of Forestry (DOF) to build resilience. This is a unique opportunity to see firsthand how local partnerships and planning can reduce wildfire threats and strengthen community safety.
VFA will provide transportation for this tour.
Tour fee is $45 Early bird / $60 Regular
Mill Mountain Park Hike
Thursday, May 8
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Roanoke is one of the only cities in the country with a mountain within its city limits and Mill Mountain features an awesome park full of great trails. Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Park is unique in that it truly is an “urban” mountain biking experience in Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Whether you start straight up the mountain on Monument trail or opt for a more rolling climb up on Woodthrush, the Roanoke Star and the Mill Mountain Discovery Center are must see destinations located atop the mountain.
View trail map.
This is hike is self-guided.
Nearby Activities
Thursday, May 8
2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
VFLEP Landowner Workshop
Friday, May 9
12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
An Urban Forestry Tour in the Star City of the South
Description: On this tour of Roanoke (and a little of Salem), we will eat lunch at, and tour the grounds of the famous Fishburn Mansion, a 42-room Georgian-revival home built in 1907. We’ll learn about using Missouri Gravel Beds to propagate trees, community gardens, and hear from the local tree Stewards.
Next, we’ll travel over to Virginia Western Community College, a Bee Campus USA, and have a guided tour of their arboretum.
We’ll end the afternoon at Sherwood Memorial Park in Salem where we’ll learn about Virginia’s Big Tree Program and see Virginia’s Champion Atlas cedar. We’ll also learn about efforts to protect urban ash trees from the emerald ash borer.
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Registration fee: $30 | Lunch is included.
