This May saw a number of current Masters of Forest Resources students attending the school’s annual field camp.
The camp comprises of three weeks split by subject area:
- Week 1: Operations
- Week 2: Silviculture
- Week 3: Mensuration
During the operations week, the students visited a number of sites in Alabama. Logging operations, mills and manufacturing facilities were all on the menu. Our hosts were incredibly welcoming and put up well with the barrage of questions that the students fired their way.
The silviculture week exposed the students to a number of systems that differ greatly from what we may consider typical down in loblolly pine country. Longleaf regeneration and management near Savannah, a stop off at the Cradle of Forestry and a comprehensive look at hardwood management for different landowner objectives filled up the week pretty quickly. We also stopped off for a lesson on prescribed burning in the Tallulah Gorge National Forest that was especially interesting.
Right as summer arrived we started mensuration week with a short drive to a Warnell owned forest. Armed with cruising gear and brush-pants, the students spent the week marking off sample plots and surveying stands in a variety of growth stages. Too early for blueberries this year, everyone had to make do with packed lunches. I believe the record this year stands at 84 ticks found one one person in a single day.
Field camp provided an excellent primer for students that are newer to forestry, while giving those more experienced a chance to delve deeper into the industry by exposing them to some of the best operations, silvicultural systems and surveying practices in North America.
