Forest Technician Education

Longleaf Pine Video

2010-08-13T10:39:00.002-04:00

This view of the longleaf pine forest at the Jones Ecological Center is provided courtesy of Beth Brantley.

Candids from the 2010 meeting

2010-08-11T21:18:00.000-04:00

It's easy to take pictures of trees and forests. Now, here are some people shots.

Cloud Computing

2010-08-11T11:22:00.003-04:00

Should You Try Cloud Computing?

We are all used to using programs that are installed on our computers. Word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation managers are among the most commonly used tools. In the last few years a new method to deliver these services has become common.

In cloud computing software you access programs from a server through a web browser. The browser serves as your window to create and edit documents. All the documents are then stored in your account on the server.

I have been using Google Docs for several years with no problems. Here are some advantages I have found with cloud computing:

Edit the files on any computer.
Post the documents as web pages for anyone to see. For example, I post instructions for course labs on the web. Documents can also be embedded in web pages. The instructor list on the CEFTS web site is an embedded spreadsheet.
Collaborate almost simultaneously with other editors. This I haven’t tried yet, but the reviews have been good.
Download the files to use on a local computer with any office application.
Both Google Docs and Microsoft’s Office Live are free to use after registration. They both have generous storage available. (Microsoft offers an astounding 25 megabytes free.)

There are some cautions and caveats:

Are the files secure? Google Docs has increased security recently. They ask for passwords more often. Yet, I wouldn’t put my gradebook (a spreadsheet) in the clouds quite yet.
There aren’t as many tools available in the cloud versions as you get on a desktop application. Yet, I have found 99% of the commonly used tools and functions I need. In addition, Google Docs have a number Gadgets, many user developed, that you can access.
Without internet access you are high and dry. I also wouldn’t try these tools over a modem.

I would recommend Google Docs without reservation. Microsoft has just started its cloud computing service. I will be experimenting with it in the next few months. The new Office 2010 is supposed to be better integrated with the cloud service. You can sign in to Office Live here: http://office.live.com/

Here are examples of files I have made with Google Docs:

Peter Linehan

P.S. Click here to see the original version of this article in Google Docs.

Map of 2010 Conference Map

2010-08-09T20:53:00.000-04:00

View CEFTS 2010 in a larger map
While traveling to the Jones Ecological Center and the other sites we visited during the CEFTS meeting last week I did feel a bit confused as to how far we were traveling. Check out this interactive map to see where the different sites were located.

2010 Meeting at ABAC

2010-08-05T23:23:00.001-04:00

The 2010 CEFTS meeting was held in Tifton, Georgia, sponsored by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). We enjoyed the visit to the Jones Ecological Center, in spite of the intense heat! The second day consisted of the annual business meeting and a fruitful exchange of teaching ideas.

Next year we will see everyone in Fredericton, New Brunswick!

Mystery reptile

2010-08-05T06:41:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, while the CEFTS group was visiting the Jones Center this lizard was found on a live oak by the creek. What is it?

After some research in a wildlife guide, I found out this is an eastern fence lizard. It's a common species found from Texas eastward. Here is a picture of another one that I found on Flickr.

Haywood Community College Honors

2010-05-07T09:49:00.000-04:00

Haywood Community announced the following new members of the CEFTS Honor Society. From left to right are: Bill Sweeney, Dawn Salley, Caleb McMahan, and Josh McMinn. Congratulations everyone!

Montgomery Communnity College Honors

2010-05-06T11:53:00.000-04:00

Four Montgomery Community College students were inducted into the CEFTS Honor Society this spring. They are from left to right: Nathan McCallum, Ethan Moore, Billy Stancil, and Alex Thompson. Congratulations, gentlemen!

Thompson School Forest Technology Students Earn National Honors

2010-05-06T10:36:00.000-04:00

This year, nine Thompson School Forest Technology Students were inducted into the Council of Eastern Forest Technician Schools (CEFTS) Forest Technician Honor Society. To be eligible, students must maintain a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.3 GPA in their forestry courses. Pictures left to right are: Angie Hammond, Ian Barry, Tyler Currier, Ned Telling, Jared Johnson, Billy Kunelius, Kristen Dietrich, Adam Taschereau and Adam D’Entrement.

Glenville State College Honors

2010-05-06T10:33:00.000-04:00

Three students were recently inducted into the Council of Eastern Forest Technology Schools honorary. The students must have obtained a 3.30 in their forestry courses and a 3.00 overall grade point average to be eligible for this honor. This is the oldest award that this organization gives to outstanding individuals in forest technology. They are shown with the forestry instructors in Land Resources. Shown in the photo from left to right are Dr. Rico Gazal, Mr. Rick Sypolt, Douglas Fox, Marilyn Burkowski, Melissa Shockey and Dr. Brian Perkins. Congratulations to Doug, Marilyn and Brian.

New Honor Society Members at Penn State Mont Alto

2010-05-05T22:28:00.001-04:00

Two graduating sophomores from Penn State Mont Alto were inducted to the CEFTS Forest Technology Honor Society this past week based on their outstanding academic achievements. The certificates were presented during the spring forestry picnic at Mont Alto State Park. Congratulations Josiah Knopsnider and Severin Thierwechter!

A Visit to Wanakena

2010-04-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

David McDonald, from the Maritime College of Forest Technology, made a return visit to the Ranger School at Wanakena after Mike Bridgen's visit to MCFT. His impressions can be found in this previous article. Check out his observations in this report. David has some great insights into the similarities (same educational philosophies and approaches) and differences (administrative organizations) of the two Ranger Schools. Both schools are dealing with the changing needs of the forestry profession, the interests of the students, and the need to keep enrollments up. The illustrations are fantastic!

This Old House and Forest Technology

2010-02-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

I've been watching the latest This Old House project, which is following the rebuilding of an abandoned duplex home in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Click here to see pictures and videos from the project. The house had been empty for a long time and suffered significant damage from the foundation to the roof.

I noticed that the contractor was installing many manufactured, laminated beams for structural support throughout the house. I wondered if some of the beams came from the Weyerhauser factory we visited during the last CEFTS meeting in Glenville, WV? You never know. Click here for some pictures from the tour. It's nice to think that some of our forest technician students worked on the forests, that grew the trees used for the wood, to make these beams that will help support a home for two families.

Also, at the start of the project a Bartlett Tree Experts crew was called in to remove several dead hazard trees from the back yard. Many of the CEFTS schools have worked with Bartlett, which has employed our graduates.

Penn College Student Honored

2010-01-27T12:04:00.001-05:00

Pennsylvania College of Technology forestry student, Laurie A. Nau Named was named 'Student of the Month' by the Student Government Association. According to the announcement:

Nau participates in a number of Forestry Club activities, has repeatedly donated her time to American Red Cross Bloodmobiles at the Schneebeli Earth Science Center, volunteers at Penn College Open Houses, gives tours to prospective students and their families, and is in charge of the forestry bulletin boards in the School of Natural Resources Management.
"Succinctly put, Laurie makes my job easier," her faculty nominator said. "She is not only an excellent student ... but she is very conscientious and dedicated to learning. She is really an amazing person when you consider how she balances her family life with that of her student life. I would be remiss not to say that she is very involved in her community, as well."
The professor also has been impressed with Nau's desire to learn more about the environment, saying she has gone well beyond the forestry education she is acquiring at Penn College.
"She is so supportive of her classmates," the nominator added. "She's almost like a 'Mini Me' when students come to her for additional clarification. I think she would make a great teacher!"

Click here for the complete story.

Congratulations, Laurie for a job well done!

Compare and Contrast: Two Ranger Schools

2010-01-18T09:48:00.001-05:00

Michael R. Bridgen (1), SUNY ESF Ranger School, Wanakena, NY and David McDonald (2), Maritime College of Forest Technology, Fredericton, NB

Introduction:

There are about twenty-five colleges in the United States and Canada which offer academic programs in forest technology. Scattered across the continent, each school offers educational programs directed at training technicians for employment in forestry or other natural resource industries. Each school also offers a unique perspective on the industries, molded by the interests and expertise of their faculty members and the regional demands of the profession.

The Maritime College of Forest Technology at Fredericton, New Brunswick (prior to 2003 known as the Maritime Forest Ranger School), was established in April 1946, as a co-operative effort of the provincial governments of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the wood-using industries of the two provinces. Its program was originally modeled on the facilities and teaching methods used at the (SUNY ESF) Ranger School in Wanakena, NY. Hans Meissner, RS'31, joined the Maritime Forest Ranger School's faculty in 1947, and became its acting Director in 1948.

Unfortunately, since the creation of the School, there has been little professional interaction between members of the two faculties. During this past year, we expressed mutual interest in comparing our programs, perhaps sharing teaching methodologies, and providing our students with a bit of an international experience in the classrooms.

The Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre, Fredericton, NB

The Visit:

At the invitation of, and facilitation by, David McDonald, an instructor of silviculture, botany, biology, and entomology at MCFT, Michael Bridgen, a professor at SUNY ESF Ranger School attended the campus of the MCFT. During the three-day visit (October 19-21, 2009) the guest faculty member had the opportunity to:

Participate in a four-hour silviculture lab, in the field,
Present a one-hour lecture on "The Natural History and Silviculture of Black Ash", to the second-year forest technology students,
Observe a lecture in roads (2nd year),
Participate in a four-hour field lab in fish and wildlife,
Observe a lecture in ecology (1st year),
Attend the weekly faculty meeting,
Visit two forest properties used by the College, and
Visit the physical facilities plant.

Bridgen also stayed in the residence hall and had meals with the 1st and 2nd year students, and discussed with students their perspectives on the MCFT program.

SUNY ESF Ranger School, on the shores of the Oswegatchie River in Wanakena, NY

Comparisons between the two schools:

* Class size - MCFT enrolls about 50 students in the 1st year. The number of applicants is higher than the College can accept, and many applicants are rejected. By the second year, there are about 30-40 students in the program, the rest having been dismissed from the program. The Wanakena campus currently enrolls 40 to 50 second year students, who have already completed their first year courses at another institution.

* Faculty members - MCFT has twelve faculty members, including the Executive Director, titled "instructor" or "field instructor". Faculty members have professional degrees and certifications for their respective professions. Each of the faculty members has had some professional experiences prior to joining the faculty. Some instructors have had formal training in teaching. Like the Wanakena program, most teaching development mostly occurs "on the job".

Also like the Wanakena program, faculty members are very passionate about their teaching responsibilities, present excellent material using effective methods, and are personally concerned about the success of their students.

One significant difference between our two programs is the absence of tenure at MCFT. Also, the academic ranks at Wanakena range from Instructor to Professor.

In addition to the faculty, MCFT also has a full-time recruitment officer. This individual meets with prospective students in various schools throughout the region, describes the program at MCFT, and encourages good quality students to attend the College.

* Location - The MCFT campus is immediately adjacent to Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick. It is quite literally within walking distance to a Walmart, and much of downtown Fredericton. First-year students are required to live in residence. Second-year students, however, may live off campus if they choose. Social interactions with other colleges or the nearby community are very great.

In contrast, the Wanakena campus is within walking distance of one of the largest wilderness regions in the eastern United States. Its remoteness makes it very difficult, if not inadvisable, for students to live off-campus. Social interactions for our students are highly dependent on in-house activities provided by the school or by the student class structure.

* School Forest - MCFT has two forest laboratory locations, the Noonan Woodlot and the UNB Forest. The Noonan property is about a twenty-minute drive from campus, while the UNB Forest is immediately adjacent to the College, within walking distance for the students. Neither property is directly owned or controlled by MCFT, making them subject to changing management plans. The UNB property is open to the public, and is undergoing significant land-use changes. This situation contrasts with the Dubuar Forest in Wanakena, which is dedicated to use by Ranger School students and which is under strong management control by the Ranger School faculty.

MCFT is currently in negotiations to acquire rights (degree of exclusivity is being negotiated) to a property (referred to as Kingsclear, part of the provincial tree nursery lands) that is being returned to Crown land ownership.

* Forest types - The New Brunswick forests are significantly composed of softwoods, principally spruce and fir. Local softwood-dominated industries affect the choices of silviculture and forest management practices. This is in contrast to the forest types and silviculture practices on the Dubuar Forest, which include a balance of natural hardwood silviculture, artificial softwood plantations, and a small percentage of spruce-fir wetland forests.

* Facilities - The MCFT campus is associated with the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre, which also includes offices for the Canadian Forest Service, the University of New Brunswick's Tweeddale Center for Forest Industrial Research, and the New Brunswick Provincial Department of Natural Resources. Professional contacts are almost "built into" the MCFT program, due to its proximity to other agencies. The ESF Ranger School, by contrast, is the principle user of the Wanakena Campus and Dubuar Forest. At Wanakena, offering the conference and lecture rooms, computer facilities, extra dormitory space, and other facilities to external agencies for their occasional use encourages professional contacts.

Additionally, the MCFT campus itself rents office space to the New Brunswick Maple Producers Association, The Tree House (non profit entity that supports environmental education efforts such as Envirothon), Infor which is a provincially funded private land extension service and the New Brunswick Blueberry Association head office.

Classroom space - MCFT has two main classrooms, approximately equal in size, which are dedicated for either the first-year students or second-year students. As at Wanakena, lectures are offered during the morning hours to each class, while field labs are held in the afternoon. MCFT also has a number of specialized indoor laboratories, (dendrology; wildlife), approximately twice the capacity of the Wanakena Campus.

MCFT has a large-equipment storage facility, similar to Wanakena's Maintenance Shop, housing skidders, other large equipment, chainsaws, brush cutters, herbicide sprayers, etc. This facility, too, is approximately twice the size the one at Wanakena.

* Academic program - The main degree offered at MCFT is a "Forest Technologist Diploma (3)", corresponding with the A.A.S. degree offered at Wanakena. Another option which students may pursue is the "Advanced Diploma" in Fish and Wildlife Technology. To complete the Advanced Diploma, students must satisfactory complete requirements for the Forest Technology Diploma AND achieve a minimum grade in a number of fish and wildlife courses, AND complete a Fish and Wildlife practicum during the summer, AND complete a number of certifications offered outside of the College (4). This advanced diploma is earned by completing a body of work above and beyond the work that's expected for a standard diploma.

The Fish and Wildlife degree fits well with the forestry program at MCFT probably because fisheries (and wildlife) are also major industries in New Brunswick. As land management practices may have an impact on the fisheries industry, forest management practices are also regulated for their effects on fishing and wildlife. This provincial-wide (actually, regional-wide) interdependence between the forestry industry and the fishing industry almost necessitates a fish and wildlife Advanced Diploma. Industries in New York, having a similar mutual dependence, may include land surveying, recreation, arboriculture, and environmental conservation.

All MCFT students also have to complete a faculty-approved Work Practicum during the summer following their first year. This is a pass-fail requirement. The work requirement for students at Wanakena is built into the academic program and is evaluated as part of the students' grades.

MCFT has a very well established, highly respected and extremely successful Continuing Education department. Its original intent was to provide follow up training to graduates of the "old Ranger school". The courses put on by CE are directly in response to the expressed needs of its graduates and their employers. The Wanakena campus does not have a formal continuing education component.

MCFT currently has in place an articulation agreement with the University of New Brunswick Faculty of Forestry in Fredericton. By way of this agreement students from MCFT may enter into the four year BScF program at UNB and can receive up to the equivalent of two years of course credits. Each year between 10 and 15 graduates from MCFT continue their studies at UNB. The Wanakena Campus has a similar agreement with SUNY ESF, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management, in Syracuse, New York. Many FNRM students enter the B.S. program with the expectation of attending the Wanakena Campus as their sophomore-year training.

* Alumni structure - There is not a strong alumni organization at MCFT, which greatly contrasts with significant alumni interactions at Wanakena. However, there is a New Brunswick Forest Technicians Association (www.nbfta.org) and a Nova Scotia Forest Technician Association (http://www.nsfta.ca) both of which seem to fit a similar niche. In addition to providing scholarship money and professional contacts for the students, these organizations also serve as mechanisms for continuing education in the Province.

Insightful Differences:

Other than geographic locations, perhaps the most significant difference between these two institutions is in the number of years students attend their respective programs. The SUNY ESF Ranger School program only offers the second year of a two-year program, requiring students to attend another institution as freshmen. MCFT currently offers a two-year program, having both first- and second-year students at its campus. (Prior to 2003, the Maritime Forest Ranger School offered a one-year program, with the additional requirement of a minimum 12 months work experience in forestry.) Now, having had six years experience with a two-year program, MCFT demonstrates how effective a two-year model might also work at Wanakena.

Some of the advantages of offering both first- and second-year programs at the same facility are:

1. Greater control of the course contents of the academic curricula (elective courses, for example, supplement material offered in the required courses)

2. Immediate assessment and quality control of course content and presentation (all course instructors engage in discussions of effectiveness and impact on student learning)

3. Reinforcement of basic skills learned during the first year (such as tree identification) with applied field labs held in the second year.

4. Support of the 1st year students from the 2nd year students (2nd year students, knowing how challenging the 1st year was, assist their classmates complete their work)

5. Continuity of traditions and discipline between classes (2nd year students, knowing the discipline from the 1st year, the loss of classmates due to poor grades, etc. expect that the same treatment will be imposed on incoming classes)

6. Continuity of student body leadership

7. Richer professional interactions between 2nd year students and the faculty

8. New student orientation facilitated by 2nd year students

9. Students demonstrate greater pride in the quality of their work, resulting in increased loyalty to the school as alumni.

Conclusions/follow-up

The visit to the Maritime College of Forest Technology at Fredericton resulted in renewed professional ties between two very similar schools. The visitor was cordially received, both by the faculty and by the students (Go Swamp Donkeys!). It gave us the opportunity to brag about our successes, complain about our problems, and share with each other our thoughts about teaching, the roles of forest technicians (technologists), and other issues affection our professions. A "turn-about-is-fair-play" reciprocal visit will occur later this year when David McDonald visits the Wanakena campus and gets for himself some first-hand experience in comparing institutions.

This was a valuable experience. It resulted in personal development for the visitors, a greater appreciation of the value of their education by students, and a stronger perspective for everyone of the role of forest technology education in the modern professional world.

Footnotes:
(1) 257 Ranger School Road, Wanakena, NY 13695; 315-848-2566; bridgen@esf.edu

(2) 1350 Regent Street, Fredericton, NB E3C 2G6; 506-458-5124; dmcdonald@mcft.ca

(3) In order to graduate as a Forest Technologist, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 65%. Failure to do this results in dismissal from the program. Students can graduate from the 2 year program carrying one failed credit (some restrictions apply) as long as their cumulative average is 65% or greater.

(4) ADVANCED DIPLOMA Students who choose to pursue the Advanced Diploma in Forest and Fish & Wildlife Technology must meet the following academic conditions:

A. Successful completion of all requirements of the Forest Technology program

B. Achieve a grade of 65 percent or better in the following Fish & Wildlife courses:

Non-MCFT delivered courses (see below)
Fish & Wildlife Techniques I (Mid-August)
Fish & Wildlife Techniques II
Fish & Wildlife Techniques III
Wildlife Winter Field Camp

C. Maintain a minimum cumulative weighted average of 65 percent in all Fish & Wildlife courses.

D. Successfully complete a Fish & Wildlife field project to be completed during the summer practicum.

E. Obtain certification in the following non-MCFT delivered courses: Firearm Safety, Restricted Firearm Safety, Hunter Education, Trapper Education, Bowhunter Education, and Nuisance Wildlife Operator

Use Google Maps Street View to Show Forest Management Operations

2009-10-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

Normally you wouldn't think of Google Maps Street View as a helpful tool for forestry. Most of the scenes are concentrated in urban areas, where the people are. However, Google has been sending its cars out from the city centers to the rural areas. This can provide a good opportunity to illustrate forestry operations in an embedded map view.

For example, this scene shows the aftermath of a pine plantation removal operation in the Waynesboro Watershed in Hamiltonban Township, PA. The site has been treated with herbicides to remove invasive plants and shrubs. Most of it has been replanted, although none of the seedlings are yet visible.

View Larger Map

As with all Google Maps views this one can be opened to its own screen for viewing or manipulated in its own window.

Further along the same road a deer fence was put in place to protect hardwood regneration in a stand where diseased hemlock and overtopped trees were removed several years previously. Use the map controls to pan up and see the canopy opening. (Click on the map and move the view around.)

View Larger Map

This last view shows the PA Bureau of Forestry Ralph Brock Seed Orchard along Rte 233. The pines here have been topped to concentrate cone production on the lower branches. This treatment mystifies people who drive by until the purpose is explained to them!

View Larger Map

Glenville State College Forest

2009-08-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

The teaching forest for the Glenville State College Forest is located a short ways from campus. There are some unique problems involved in managing the forest. High rates of deer browsing, the high slopes, and sharing the roads with the gas well at the top of the forest are all challenges that have to be considered.

Rick Sypolt describes the hybrid chestnut trials. The goal is to have 15/16's American chestnuts that are blight-resistant.

Road maintenance is critical when slopes are this steep. The gas well company contributes to the cost of materials. The College keeps the road graded and maintained.

A site harvested by students.

More pictures from the Glenville State College Forest visit:

iLevel Veneer Technology Plant

2009-08-10T13:33:00.000-04:00

A tour of Weyerhaeuser's iLevel Veneer Technology Plant in Buckhannon, WV was one of the most interesting stops on the CEFTS 2009 meeting. At this plant yellow poplar veneer is used to manufacture beams using the Microlam and Paralam processes. During the fabrication process nothing is wasted as the beams are created.

Safety was a main concern for the tour. Harry Hutchins is decked out in the full gear of hardhat with radio, vest, and safety glasses. The radios were a great way to hear information from our guides over the sound of the mill.

Stacks of freshly peeled yellow poplar veneer

Newly fabricated microlam beams

Finished product ready for shipping:

Thanks to Brian Wilson, Mark Shreve, Don Grant, and John Holstine for the excellent tour.

CEFTS Meeting at Glenville State College

2009-08-08T18:03:00.000-04:00

The 2009 CEFTS meeting (August 4-9) has just wrapped up. The folks at Glenville State planned an excellent meeting.

In field trips during the meeting we visited the:

Glenville State College University Forest
Weyerhaeuser iLevel Veneer Technology Plant in Buckhannon
Fernow Experimental Forest on the Monongehela National Forest

The following map shows the areas visited during the field trips.

View CEFTS 2009 Meeting Locations in a larger map
Many thanks to:Roy Henderson from Appalachian Timber Services, a unit of Strata Products.Tom Snyder for his excellent driving, Crystal Murphy for excellent arrangements, and Rick Alice Sypolt for the welcome barbecue.

GSC PART OF EFFORT TO RESTORE THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT

2009-06-04T18:00:00.000-04:00

Glenville, WV—With the planting of over one hundred trees in two separate orchards, Glenville State College has joined the fight to restore the majestic American chestnut tree to West Virginia forests.

Once dominant in eastern forests, the American chestnut, which accounted for up to twenty-five percent of all hardwood trees, was pushed to the brink of extinction by perhaps the deadliest plant blight ever. The blight which attacked and destroyed the American chestnut was brought in from Asia on imported species of trees. First discovered in 1904, the blight spread quickly through forests from Maine to Florida. By 1950 the mature American chestnut forest was all but dead. Individual trees, and a few stands are all that remain.

Today there are promising prospects for the restoration of the American chestnut due in a major part to the efforts of The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF). Established in 1983, this non-profit organization is breeding and planting blight resistant strains of chestnut trees. The Asian species of chestnuts are resistant to the blight. By cross-breeding these species with American chestnuts, TACF hopes to develop an American chestnut that will be resistant to the blight.

On Friday, May 15th faculty members from the Glenville State College Land Resources Department were joined by Dr. Bob Paris, a plant geneticist with The American Chestnut Foundation, for the planting of the first chestnut orchard in West Virginia. Over one hundred seedlings donated by TACF were planted in a field on property used by the GSC Land Resources Department. The orchard includes a variety of chestnut strains including: 100% American chestnut , 75% American chestnut and 25% Chinese chestnut, 87.5 % American chestnut and 12.5% Chinese Chestnut, 15/16 American chestnut and 1/16 Chinese chestnut. “This orchard at Glenville State College is our first in West Virginia. It will be used for testing and research of The American Chestnut Foundation’s breeding program. We hope it will help increase public awareness of the effort to restore the American chestnut,” said Dr. Bob Paris. TACF will be developing similar orchards in other locations including reclaimed surface mine sites.

A second orchard with ten chestnut seedlings was planted next to the GSC greenhouse near Eberle Hall. This orchard will be utilized as a breeding orchard for making crosses that will be adapted to this region and be blight resistant.

“These orchards will provide our GSC students with hands-on experience in tree genetics, greenhouse work, pruning, and propagation. It will also serve as a valuable community service project and help to build a better appreciation of the American chestnut,” said Rick Sypolt, GSC Professor of Forestry and Land Surveying and Chair of the Department of Land Resources.

To learn more about the American chestnut visit www.chestnut@acf.org. For more information about the GSC chestnut orchards contact Rick Sypolt at (304) 462 -7361 ext.6371.

GSC Professor of Forestry and Land Surveying (left) and TACF Geneticist Bob Paris place plastic tube around chestnut seedling to protect it from hungry wildlife.

GSC Instructor of Land Surveying Rick Witte (left) and Dr. Milan Vavrek, associate professor of Natural Resource Management, plant chestnut seedlings.

A small chestnut breeding orchard is planted behind the GSC greenhouse.

GSC Students Restoring Yeager Airport

2008-12-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

The forest technology students that are taking the soils and land reclamation class are working on a unique project while doing a service learning project. The project allows the students field experience in erosion and sediment control and reclamation processes .

The students in the Land Resources Department are assisting Yeager Airport officials with the reclamation of land around the airport necessitated by the airport’s runway extension and improvement project. The undertaking, which improves safety and expands the capability of the airport, requires the moving of more than three million cubic yards of rock and soil. The Glenville State College students are gaining vital real world experience, while Yeager Airport and the community will have received an exceptional reclamation effort.

The goal of the Land Resources Department is to make the disturbed area more scenic, provide diverse shrubs and trees for protection of the site, and enhance the wildlife on the area. The plants will reduce runoff, decrease sediment and provide for better overall site protection. Establishing woody plants on the site has initially involved sowing black locust, white pine and sycamore seed. Redbud seed will also be added. The redbud will provide spring color (purple) and the black locust will provide summer color (white). Both of these species are legumes and hearty and should enhance the soil while providing a visual break in the grass covered fill area.

Glenville State College students will return to the site in the spring of 2009 to plant a variety of seedlings. Norway spruce will be provided for visual blocks along trails. The spruce grow slowly but will eventually provide cover for wildlife and diversity in the landscape. Black locust, chestnut, and red oak seedlings will also be planted. Upon completion of the project, the disturbed hillside will be returned to an attractive, stable slope covered with a variety of trees, shrubs and grasses.

Pre-Conference Trip

2008-10-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

Dennis Ringling contributed these pictures of the pre-conference trip to Ely, MN for canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a viewing of the rock pictographs near Hegman Lake, and a tour of the International Wolf Center.

Click on the slide show to see the pictures full-screen.

FORESTRY CONFERENCE DRAWS EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS U.S. AND CANADA

2008-08-22T19:20:00.000-04:00

Minnesota DNR forest ecologist John Almendinger and forest soil scientist Dan Hanson held a hands-on field session in the Chippewa National Forest for forestry educators who convened at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids for their annual conference. The group's focus is to improve the quality of two-year forestry programs at colleges and technician schools across the nation.

Itasca Community College was the host site for the 2008 Council of Eastern Forest Technician Schools (CEFTS) Conference. Educators from colleges offering two-year degree programs in forestry convened in Grand Rapids recently to compare educational methods and content, participate in forest tours led by area experts and visit the Forest History Center.

College instructors from nine states and New Brunswick, Canada, attended this year's conference, providing a diverse mix of forestry regions and educational institutions. Conference host Harry Hutchins, a natural resources instructor at ICC, was pleased at the conclusion of the week. "We did what we set out to do, which was to provide a selection of tours and sessions that would best represent this area," Hutchins stated. "Feedback from those who attended was very positive. Some even said it was the best conference they've ever attended. They got a good introduction to the ecologically based forestry in this region as well as a glimpse of our state's natural beauty." Hutchins was assisted by Brad Jones, his colleague at ICC who is also a natural resources instructor.

The conference began with an informal welcome reception with ICC Provost Mike Johnson, followed by the film "Minnesota, A History of the Land, Episode V: The Northern Forest," one in a series produced by the Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota and Twin Cities Public Television with major funding provided by the Blandin and Huss Foundations.

Day tours during the week included specialized segments in the Blandin Forest led by forest ecologist Cheryl Adams; Chippewa National Forest sessions with DNR forest ecologists Dan Hanson and John Almendinger and with U.S. Forest Service research technician Katie Lang; and a tour of the Cornish Hardwoods Forest with focus on SmartWood certification led by Aitkin County Land Commissioner Mark Jacobs. Each of the forest tours highlighted a specific aspect of forest ecology. Additionally, attendees were treated to an on-campus session with renowned forest ecologist John Zasada, an author and silviculturist specializing in items handcrafted from birch bark. The group also visited the Forest History Center, where they enjoyed tours of the logging camp and river wanigan, led by Ed Nelson, the Center's program director.

Most of the group arrived early for a two-day pre-conference trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where they canoed to the famous Native American pictographs on Hegman Lake and later took part in specialized tours at the International Wolf Center in Ely, led by Vermilion Community College natural resources instructor Lori Schmidt.

"This is a group with a specific purpose and narrow focus," Hutchins explained. "These educators are responsible for teaching the foresters of tomorrow...those who will be tasked with caring for our country's natural resources in the future. That is not an easy job, especially given the challenges created by modern times. We were able to show them some of Northern Minnesota's most beautiful forests and introduce them to Minnesota's forest management philosophies and methods."

The conference was underwritten in large part by the Blandin Foundation's Vital Forests/Vital Communities initiative and Itasca Community College.

Tour of Blandin Paper Ownership, near Wilson Lake

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Cheryl Adams, forest ecologist of UPM Blandin paper describes the management of Blandin Paper lands based on ecological habitat types.

During the tour we visited five stops of aspen, mixed conifer, and aspen mixedwood types. We also visited a jack pine seedling stock trial. Management is based on the productivity potential of a site, based strongly on soils, moisture levels, and the existing plant communities. For more information on UPM Blandin's forest management philosophy click here.

2008 Meeting Group Photo

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Here we all are at the start of the a very excellent meeting.

Sign On

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This blog will enable CEFTS members, forestry instructors, and anyone interested in forestry to share developments in forest technology education.