The Way of the Woods: Land Knowledge and Traditional Hand Crafts

Dates: 3-22-25 runs until 9-14-25

Hours: See below…

Deposit: $500

Remainder:  $1800

Full Tuition: $2300

Early Bird Discount:

-$200 if enrolled by 1-15-25

Ages: 18 & Up.

Camping, Directions and Logistics

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Landscapes have defined human cultures for thousands of years. Our ancestors knew the plants and trees, could find water, navigate a mountain, and make useful objects from the landscape. In modern times, many of us have disconnected from the land, seeing only the wall of green between us and the natural world. In this class we will explore the skills of identifying, understanding, and navigating the natural world around us. With this foundation we will apply our skills through forest crafts and silviculture, wilderness navigation and naturalist studies.

This course will give students the ability to be informed and knowledgeable outdoorspeople

2025 Schedule

Classes start at 10AM on the first day and go till 4 PM on the last day. During full class days we start at 9AM  and workshops and activities will go until after dinner most nights.

  

Tree ID by buds and bark, plant adaptations for winter and maple sugaring

 March 22-23

Notebook Making, Leaf Morphology, Tree Planting, Orchard Spring Cleaning

 April 12-13

Land Navigation 1, Bark Harvesting, Spring Ephemerals, Introduction to Natural History: Mountains of New England

 May 17-18

Land Nav 2, Carve a Spatula, Natural History of New England: Glaciers and What They Left Behind

 June 14-15

Gourd bowls, properties of different woods, human land use history, Knife Sheaths

 July 19-20

Springs/hydrology, navigation planning, night hike, plaited bark containers

 August 16-17

Apples! Harvesting, pressing and homebrewing. Nut harvesting and stratification for planting. Final Tree blitz! ID as many species as we can

 September 13-14

Course Curriculum

In this spring to fall program students will learn the following:

  • Tree ID by Leaf, Bud, and Bark
  • Natural History of New England
  • Land Use History of New England
  • Advanced Land Navigation
  • Maple Sugaring
  • Apple Pressing
  • Tree Seed Saving, Planting, and Growing
  • Wooden Spatula and Spoon Carving
  • Gourd Bowl Carving
  • Bark Container Making
  • Journal/Notebook Making
  • Make Your Own Knife Sheath
  • Find Water on the Landscape

Weekends include a day on the Roots School campus and a day off property learning from other landscapes. Students must provide their own transport to and from secondary locations as well as bring a packed lunch for those days away from Roots.

When on the Roots campus students will have access to the outdoor kitchen space for preparing their meals and freezing icepacks for coolers.

Payment Information

Tuition: Tuition is  $2300 total, broken into a Deposit and Tuition.  There are three payment options for this program to be chosen during enrollment:                           
Option 1: Pay the Deposit and Tuition in full at Enrollment.
                                                                                        Option 2:  Pay the Deposit at Enrollment and then pay the Tuition on the first day of the program, either automatically with your card or through check or cash.   
Option 3: Pay the Deposit at Enrollment and then pay the remainder split up on the first of each month from when you enroll until August 1st.                                          
Early Bird Discount: To receive the Early Bird discount you must be Enrolled before January 15th.
                                                                                      Payment Plan Policy: Please know that if you sign up for a payment plan and drop out midway through the course you are still responsible for the remainder of your balance. If you do not complete your payments on schedule late fees will be assessed.  

Refund Policy: Tuition, minus the deposit is refundable up to one month before the beginning of the program.

Grants: Qualifying Vermont residents may apply for Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, (VSAC) Advancement Grants (Previously non-degree grants.) Be aware that VSAC begins its funding cycle in June and January of each year and awards grants on a first-come-first-serve basis while funds last. Please apply early!  Students who apply for VSAC grants are asked to submit a non-refundable deposit with your registration form. When the grant is issued at the start of the program, we will refund whatever amount of your deposit is in excess of the tuition.  VSAC application forms may be obtained from Vermont Student Assistance Corporation: 1-800-882-4166.