Penn State Cooperative Extension will offer two educational programs for forest landowners and their financial advisers in October and is accepting registrations.

Forest Estate Planning is a three-part series to be offered from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, Oct. 14, 21, and 28 at the Mercer County Cooperative Extension Office, 463 N. Perry Highway, 1.5 miles north of Mercer.

These workshops are designed to assist families in preparing for an orderly transfer of ownership to the next generation. Topics to be addressed include:

• What is Estate Planning?

• The Importance of Family Communications

• How to Initiate Family Conversations

• Taxes, Tools and Strategies

• Where to Go for Help

Registration for this series is $50 a person or $40 a family which includes all three sessions. This is a first-time offering of a rotating statewide program presented by several university specialists and county-based educators, and we are fortunate to initiate this program here in Mercer County.

Given the importance of sound estate planning in preserving family lands, please give this opportunity serious consideration. Ask yourself if three evenings of your time is worth investing in order to protect your life’s work and future needs of your family.

Contact Mercer County Cooperative Extension at 724-662-3141 ext. 303 for additional information or to preregister. This workshop is being co-sponsored by AgChoice Farm Credit ACA and Mercer County Woodland Owners Association.

Forest Finance, Oct. 21, is a one-day workshop presented by Dr. Michael Jacobson, associate professor, Penn State School of Forest Resources.

This workshop will focus on assisting forest landowners and their financial advisers in achieving their individual goals. Topics to be covered include: evaluating financial returns from forestry investments, accounting for inflation, optimal harvest timing, forest valuation and appraisal, alternative income opportunities, bioenergy, natural gas, and an overview of the current state of the forest industry.

This workshop will be held at Structural Modular’s Inc., 101 Southern Avenue, Strattanville, Pa.

The following continuing education credits are approved for this workshop: PA State Board of Accountancy 8 hours, CLE credits for attorneys, and Society of American Foresters 8 CFE hours.