McDowell Tech Community College

Invasive Plants: identification and management for trails

Old Fort, North Carolina

This class will explore the ecological impacts of non-native invasive plants as well as their impacts on trail maintenance and user experience. Become acquainted with invasive plant identification, detection and prevention strategies, and control techniques. What makes a plant “invasive”? Why does it matter if a plant is “non-native”? What happens if you don’t have an invasive plant management plan for your trail?

Learn plant identification and control techniques in the classroom and refine those skills through hands-on field instruction.

Your instructor, John Odell is the owner of Appalachian Land Stewards in Old Fort, NC. After earning a Forestry degree in 2005, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Warren Wilson College to develop his skills as a forester, land manager and arborist. John is an educator and advocate for natural ecosystems. Appalachian Land Stewards was created to help private and public landowners improve the ecological integrity of their lands through responsible forest management, invasive species control, native plant installation and proper tree care. John holds the following certifications and licenses: ISA Certified Arborist, Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, Licensed NC Pesticide Applicator.

Train and stay in beautiful Old Fort, NC. This is a destination training! Stay in town at an airbnb or bed and breakfast or camp at one of our nearby campgrounds. Attend classes, ride bikes, hike, fish, play. Old Fort boasts world class trails and stocked trout waters. Enjoy our breweries, winery and great food. Shuttle the famous Heartbreak Ridge trail for a 13.75 mile downhill with 4,280 ft of descent.

See class link for more info: https://www.mcdowelltechconed.com/classdetails.php?id=1723138136

Click here to register: https://www.mcdowelltechconed.com/registration.php

Location

49 East Main Street
Old Fort, North Carolina 28762

Trail Competencies

Trail Maintenance
• Trail Sustainability Principles
• Maintenance Specifications
• Corridor Clearing/Site Preparation
• Corridor Clearing: Pruning/ Side-Cutting/ Brushing

Relevant Trail Types

Upcoming Event

Training Dates

Starts	April 24, 2025 08:00 AM
Ends	April 25 05:00 PM

This event takes place in Eastern Daylight Time.

See more time zones >

08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
07:00 AM Central Daylight Time
06:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time
05:00 AM Mountain Standard Time
05:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time
04:00 AM Alaska Daylight Time
03:00 AM Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time
02:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time

Registration