MANKATO — University of Minnesota Extension is holding a free educational workshop and field session on silvopasture as a method for oak savanna restoration.

The workshop will begin with presentations at 9 a.m., Thursday, June 24 at the Greater Mankato Business Development Center. After lunch, participants will travel to Minneopa State Park where they will get a guided tour of the park’s oak savanna restoration and hear about the bison herd managed on site.

“There are an estimated 400,000-600,000 acres of unmanaged woodland grazing in Minnesota,” said Gary Wyatt, Extension agroforestry educator. “This workshop will introduce farmers and land managers to silvopasture as a management option, and show a real example of how managed grazing has been used for the restoration of oak savanna, one of our most endangered ecosystems.”

This free workshop is offered as part of the Silvopasture Learning Network, a joint effort between University of Minnesota Extension, Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, Great River Greening and the Center for Integrated Natural Resource Agricultural Management. Funding for this event was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).