Forest Tech Happenings at Penn State Mont Alto

Volunteering at the PFA Meeting

2011-09-23T13:46:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday's meeting of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association was helped by the efforts of Penn State Mont Alto forestry faculty and forest technology students. Among the programs that day were the following presentations:

Making a map with GPS and Google Earth by Dr. Peter Linehan, assisted by Adam Wentzel, Nick Wingerter, and Hunter Stauffer (alumnus).
Arboretum walking tour by Dr. Beth Brantley, assisted by Kelly Ketterman, Shane Strommer, and Andy Teets.
Penn State Mont Alto history walking tour by Mr. Craig Houghton, assited by Dustin Wirt, Mark Long, and Justin Vinglas.

It seemed like all the participants enjoyed the presentations!

Dedication of the Maurice Goddard Marker

2011-09-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, September 17, a historical marker was dedicated at Penn State Mont Alto during the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, the marker was placed outside the Goddard Cottage on campus.

Several speakers discussed the legacy of Dr. Goddard on forest conservation and public recreation in Pennsylvania. In the audience were several Mont Alto Forest Technology students who were volunteering at the meeting.

Click here for more information on the Goddard Legacy Project.

A New Year at Mont Alto

2011-08-29T20:04:00.001-04:00

New and returning forestry students gathered at Mont Alto for the start-of-the-year picnic today. Students got to know each other in the scavenger hunt. We also planned for the first Forestry Club meeting next week. See more pictures below.

New Honor Society Inductees

2011-05-03T21:33:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Tyler Wakefield and Nate Rosenberg who have been inducted into the CEFTS Forest Technology Honor Society. Membership in the Honor Society is based on a student's academic achievement in forestry courses taken for the Associate degree.

Tyler and Nate were awarded their certificates during the graduation picnic at Mont Alto State Park. Because of the forecast thunderstorms we had pizza, instead of our usual cookout. Thankfully, we have the pavilion, and finished just before the rains hit!

Mid-Atlantic Qualifier

2011-04-18T13:50:00.002-04:00

On the second, drier, day of the Woodsmen's Weekend at Mont Alto, the Mid-Atlantic Qualifier for the Stihl Timbersports Series was fought. This time both professional and collegiate athletes competed. It was a great time for the students to get pointers from the pros. The crowd really enjoyed the event.

The collegiate results were:

Daniel Jones, Haywood CC.
Tim Benedict, Penn State, University Park
Seth Morris, Penn State Mont Alto.

Tyler Wakefield did a great job rounding out the field! It was great to see Mont Alto alum, and current pro, Tom Oliver competing.

Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet

2011-04-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

It happened again! When Penn State Mont Alto lasted hosted the meet in 2005 it rained all day. This past Saturday (April 16), it rained even harder with stronger winds and thunder. Yet, the meet went off without a hitch, or injury! And everyone had a great time!

Congratulations to everyone who participated! The final standings were:

Haywood Community College
Penn State Mont Alto
Montgomery Community College
Allegheny College of Maryland
Pennsylvania College of Technology

Academic Festival Pictures

2011-04-14T20:20:00.002-04:00

Kelly Ketterman demonstrated time laps photography of germinating plants.

Scott Grimm and Derek Furry established permanent sampling plots in the Waynesboro Watershed.

Zach Hetrick and Seth Morris mapped past patterns of land use in the Waynesboro Watershed with historic aerial photos.

Mitch Oswald studied soil conditions to see if Coast Redwoods from California could survive in southern PA.

Jenny Diehl shares insights on living sustainably in Jamaica.

Tyler Wakefield describes his work on saving the eastern hemlock.

Academic Festival Winners

2011-04-14T20:07:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to the poster prize winners at the Academic Festival on April 13.

Posters

First Place

Tyler Wakefield

Hope for the Eastern Hemlock?

Second Place

Scott Grimm & Derek Furry

Establishing GIS-based permanent forest inventory plots on the Waynesboro Watershed

Third Place

Zachary Hetrick & Seth Morris

Comparing Past Land use to Current Forest Cover Types

Click here to see all the abstracts from the festival.

Felling a gum tree; Woodsmen practice

2011-04-06T21:34:00.002-04:00

Felling a gum tree

Originally uploaded by Powerhouse Museum Collection.

Are these guys practicing for the Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet? This wood may be a little big.

Practicing for the Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet

2011-04-05T21:51:00.004-04:00

Our team is practicing hard! We hope to see you there April 16 and 17 at Penn State Mont Alto.

10th Annual Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet

2011-04-04T15:14:00.014-04:00

You're Invited!!
April 16 and 17 at Penn State Mont Alto

Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet
and
STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate and Professional Series Mid-Atlantic Qualifier
(Click here for details.)

ORDER OF EVENTS
April 16, 2011

7:00 Breakfast for competitors. Team station setup / archery practice
8:00 Dendrology and Archery
9:00 Welcome & Opening Ceremony
9:10 Team pulp toss, single buck, dot split, pulp toss, and belayed speed climb
9:10 Team log roll
9:30 Pole fell
10:30 Bolt split
11:00 Water boil
11:30 Horizontal speed chop (female)
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Axe throw, pole climb
2:00 Dot split finals
2:15 Cross cut saw events
3:00 Horizontal speed chop
3:30 Chain Saw
4:30 Woodsmen's grand finale relay
5:00 Competition field clean up
5:30 Banquet/awards ceremony for competitors

Penn State Mont Alto Foresters at the Allegheny SAF conference

2011-02-19T08:57:00.001-05:00

The Allegheny Society of American Foresters winter meeting, organized by the Plateau Chapter, was held in Clarion, PA on Feb. 16-18. Six Penn State Mont Alto forestry students attended the conference.

Mont Alto was victorious at the quiz bowl, defeating Allegany College of Maryland and West Virginia University! Congratulations to team members Derek Furry, Shane Strommer, and Mike Trisket for their winning performance.

Among the great presentations at the conference were silvicultural remediation for degraded hardwood sites, managing for liability issues, improving foresters' involvement with the public, and examples of outdoor recreation.

The other Mont Alto participants were Andy Gundlach, Mitch Oswald, and Zach Hetrick, and faculty members Craig Houghton and Peter Linehan. It was great to visit with Mont Alto alumni now at University Park or working in the field.

Thanks to all the SAF members who sponsored students and the Plateau Chapter for a great meeting!

Testing GPS Precision

2011-01-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Students in the forest surveying class tested the precision of Garmin 60 GPS receivers today. Nine teams two students recorded 25 sets of coordinates at five different points. Two points were in forested areas and three were in the open. Each team copied their data to a spreadsheet. After the data for each point is combined we will do statistical analysis of the results. More to come.

The Life of Maurice Goddard

2010-11-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

Forest technology students and faculty gathered in the Weistling Student Center yesterday evening to watch the Maurice Goddard documentary on WITF TV. The documentary gave a fascinating portrait of Goddard, who, in a long career at Penn State and for the Commonwealth of PA, was the acknowledged architect of much of the State's forest and parks conservation policy. He worked tirelessly to expand the number of state parks so that everyone in Pennsylvania would be within 25 miles of a state park. Instrumental in securing funding for conservation projects, he led efforts in flood prevention and control.

Goddard began his career as an instructor at Penn State Mont Alto after graduating from the University of Maine, in 1935. Eventually, he became the director of Mont Alto before leading the entire School of Forest Resources.

Goddard served as a staff officer in WWII and brought that sense of military discipline to the life of the forestry school. One interviewee, Jim Nelson, told the story of how Goddard made ties mandatory for meals. No tie and no food. Nelson told how the students, after a day of hard field work, would put on a clip-on bow tie before entering the dining hall. At the time meals were served in Weistling Hall, which is where we were watching the film.

The show was an inspirational reminder of the importance of public service for all foresters at any point in their career. Click here to see the trailer.

SAF Quiz Bowl in Albuquerque

2010-11-02T06:07:00.001-04:00

The Penn State Mont Alto Forestry Club Quiz Bowl team reached the semi-final round in competition on October 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the National Society of American Foresters convention! 32 teams competed; Mont Alto beat the U of Georgia, Shasta, and Michigan Tech, and lost to Green River CC, the eventual winner. Mike Trisket was excellent as captain, along with Tyler Wakefield, Mitch Oswald and Zach Hetrick.

Forestry at the Army Corps of Engineers

2010-10-21T15:27:00.001-04:00

Penn State Mont Alto alum Will Harlon spoke to the freshman forest technician students on careers in the US Army Corps of Engineers. Will, who is a forester at the John H. Kerr Reservoir and Dam in the Wilmington District, described the history of the Corps and the natural resources parts of its current mission, which includes: flood damage prevention, hydropower generation, recreation, shoreline management, fish and wildlife management, southern pine bark beetle remediation, and timber management work on military bases.

Will gave the students information about career opportunities with the Corps and how best to prepare themselves for successful careers. Many thanks to Will and his family for visiting Mont Alto during their vacation!

Forest Tech Developments

2010-10-17T12:19:00.067-04:00

Sponsored by Landmark Systems, the Forest Technology Users Conference conference on October 13 and 14, highlighted new developments in hardware and software for forest inventories and management. Following is a summary of the presentations.Craig Houghton and I (Peter Linehan) were looking for state of the art solutions that could be added to the Forest Technology program at Mont Alto.

Carl Hauser of the Indiana DNR described the management challenges for the state forests required for the preservation of the Indiana bat. Extreme care is nneded when planning timber harvesting to not disturb the bats' winter hibernaculums. A certain number of large hardwood trees have to be reserved from harvest as the female bats like to raise their young under the bard of shagbark hickory and similar trees. Indiana DNR has modified their forest inventory software (T-Cruise) to record the required information that is needed to make good management decisions.

Haglof of Sweden manufactures precision forest measuring instruments, such as calipers and clinometers. Patrick Lidstrom described some of their recent products. The main trend is to add on board computing and geolocating capabilities to their tools. This development can increase productivity and accuracy in inventory work. My favorite new tool was a one-armed optical caliper that uses light beams to find the edge of a tree.

Landmark System's Mike Berzinis described new spatial analysis tools they have developed to facilitate forestry analysis in ArcGIS. The toolbar, SilvaAssist, provides a handy grid layout tool, Excel reports, and other forest inventory tools.

Remsoft is a linear programming tool to model forest management options based on growth models, financial conditions and many other management constraints. The system works with a number of other mapping tools and management software. They have done a good job of moving modeling from the drudgery of setting up the mathematical model.

The State of Michigan has a nearly 4 million acre state forest system, which must be one of the largest in the county. Cory Luoto and Dan Heckman, of the Michigan DNRE, described the implementation of IFMAP (Integrated Forest Management Monitoring Assessment and Planning) system. Using a centralized mapping and database system, IFMAP counts on field foresters to inventory and monitor the forests in their area, while allowing public transparency of all management actions. Moving from a paper-based system to a totally electronic system is still an ongoing process. More of the foresters are seeing the advantage of using GPS data loggers in their work.

Terry Porter, of ForestTech Resource Solutions, described tests of three models of mapping grade GPS receivers that he carried out at the University of Georgia's Whitehall Forest GPS Test Site (page has broken links). The test results showed the inherently variability that is routinely encountered with all GPS receivers, even when working within design specifications. Still, on the worst day a good GPS is far better than traditional methods of locating items in the forest.

The developer of the T-Cruise forest inventory system, Dr. Tom Matney of Mississippi State University, described a variety of software tools available for foresters to use in planning and carrying out forest inventories. Many of the options are free and available online. Click here for links to some of these resources.

Blue Ox is a new timber transportation monitoring and planning tool developed by Landmark Systems and Trimble. Rick Davis described the research that went into the development of the system by attaching GPS monitoring devices to logging trucks to find out how the trucks were really used. The system can help a forest products company save money by better deploying and using their truck fleet to get wood from the forest to the mill.

Brooks McKee of Trimble Forest Automation presented an overview of the SOLO Forest and SOLO 360 tools for GIS planning and analysis of forest inventory data. Designed to work on Trimble GPS tools and work with ArcGIS, the systems offer an interesting solution.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion with all the presenters answering questions. We certainly left the meeting with a lot of ideas for new technologies to add to the forestry courses at Mont Alto!

Many thanks to the conference sponsors. We are looking forward to future meetings. Also, the Clifty Inn in the Clifty Falls State Park in Madison, Indiana is a great place to hold a meeting. Click here for pictures outside the inn, around the park, and in Madison.

New Forest Technology Students at Penn State Mont Alto

2010-09-02T11:20:00.001-04:00

Penn State Mont Alto forest technician students gathered for the a picnic at Mont Alto State Park yesterday afternoon. In spite of the heat it was a great time for freshman and sophomore students to meet and greet!

Below are most of the freshmen in front of the pavilion.

And here are more pictures from the gathering.

Fatal Accident at Central Park Puts Focus on Trees - NYTimes.com

2010-06-27T22:48:00.000-04:00

Fatal Accident at Central Park Puts Focus on Trees - NYTimes.com

This article highlights the unseen dangers from park trees. Arborists can inspect trees, but it's impossible to see every possible hazard. For students studying urban tree care this article shows how important their work is!

New Topographic Map Formats

2010-06-24T21:45:00.001-04:00

While looking for a map on the US Geological Survey site today I found a new format of topographic maps. Previously it was easy to download a scanned topographic map in pdf format. Today I noticed that for some regions there is a new kind of map called a US Topo. It has a true color aerial photo for a base with all the usual topographic map features on top.

For example, below is a part of the Iron Springs 7.5 minute map showing the Waynesboro Reservoir, which was made in 1995.

Following is the June 2010 version of the same area.

For some maps there is a Digital Maps beta version that doesn't yet have the contour lines. The new maps can be purchased in paper format. Even better is the pdf format. The data in the new maps can be separated in the reader, just like in a GIS. When you install the free TerraGo add-on in Adobe Reader you can make measurements of direction and distance directly on the map. Very Cool! It is all available at http://store.usgs.gov Topographic maps will never be the same again!

Visit to Redwood Country

2010-06-21T21:32:00.004-04:00

P1080451

Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

A group of Penn State Mont Alto forestry students and faculty recently visited the redwood forests in Humboldt County, California. Seen here during a tour of Humboldt University's Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm, led by manager Gordon Schatz, are students Mitch Oswald and Zach Hetrick, faculty Craig Houghton, Beth Brantley and Peter Linehan, and students Tyler Wakefield, and Nate Rosenberg. The students have each participated in forestry research projects funded by Schatz research fund grants.

During the visit from June 11 to 15 the group visited the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwood State Park with its groves of amazing trees.

The tour also included parts of Redwood State Park, the Arcata Community Forest, and the Humboldt Lagoons State Park, among other places. Everyone learned a great deal about the life cycle and ecology of the amazing redwoods!

Thanks to Schatz family for funding student travel for this trip. Also, many thanks to Gordon and Karen Schatz for their time and excellent company! To see more pictures click here. See a map of the visit here.

Graduation 2010

2010-06-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

Graduation at Penn State Mont Alto was held on May 15. Below are the forest technology graduates. ( A few were missing).

It's always nice when forest technology alumni return to Mont Alto. Flanked by Dr. Brantley and Mr. Houghton; Andrew Baker, Chance Yeakly, and Tiffany Roddy from the class of 2008, received their B.S. in forestry diplomas at Mont Alto's graduation ceremony.

End of Selective Availability Anniversary

2010-06-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

The June 2010 issue of Forestry Source (subscription required) contains a short primer on GPS. Author Steve Wilent mentioned the tenth anniversary of the end of Selective Availability (SA) on May 1, 2000, following an executive order by President Clinton. Under the SA program deliberate error was introduced into the GPS signal so that the live signal would have an error of about 100 meters. This was done to protect national security during military operations. Only military GPS receivers had a chip to remove the error.

The policy was changed to promote the use of GPS in the general economy. The military agreed fully with the new policy. There were ways around SA, by using a supplemental FM correction signal broadcast locally by the US Coast Guard or by doing post-processing correction of field data in the office.

Now that the GPS signals has no more deliberately introduced error the use of GPS has grown dramatically in all parts of the economy from cars to personal devices. The sport of geocaching would not be possible if SA were still in operation.

For foresters, the end of SA has meant that low cost, rugged, recreational grade GPS receivers can be used for most forestry operations. The accuracy of these receivers is more than enough for most forestry mapping operations. The forest technology program at Penn State Mont Alto has been able to acquire sufficient receivers so that all the students can have one to use for field work. Collecting GPS data in the field and using it to create maps has now become a normal part of all fieldwork.

We should make the end of SA a national holiday!

Chestnut Planting on the Waynesboro Watershed

2010-05-05T22:16:00.001-04:00

Forest technology students in the silviculture class established a chestnut seed orchard in the Waynesboro Watershed. These latest hybrid nuts from the American Chestnut Foundation should be nearly resistant to the blight. The orchard will provide nuts to help restore the american chesnut to the forest.

See the article in The Herald Mail.

Forestry Picnic 2010

2010-05-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

The weather for this year's forestry picnic was ideal! And the food was good, too. The students shared jokes, stories, and looked forward to coming together again as Mont Alto alumni.

New Honor Society Members

2010-05-05T21:59:00.002-04:00

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. Congratulations Josiah and Severin!

* CEFTS is the Countil of Eastern Forest Technician Schools

Academic Festival 2010

2010-05-05T18:58:00.002-04:00

Forestry students were well represented in the Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival on April 14th. Click on the pictures to see a description of each project. The projects ranged from aspen regeneration to forest type mapping. The students are getting quite skillful with GIS to map their work.

New Tools for Communicating the Forestry Message

2010-02-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

Students in Forest Management Practices (FORT 250) experimented with making short videos on a forestry topic. They used Flip cameras, which make it relatively simple create, edit, and upload videos. Is Hollywood calling?

Going Up, Anyone?

2010-01-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

At the end of the semester forest technology students in the Arboriculture class finish the semester by doing one last group climb in the biggest yellow poplar tree on campus (located by the water tower). Last semester's clim in December 2009 was a very wet day. The climb went well and everyone had a great time.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T20:37:00.001-05:00

2009 ended in a snowstorm over Mont Alto. With the campus closed for the holidays, the snow can stay untrodden for a little while. Best wishes and success to all in 2010!

Hunting Season Underway

2009-10-24T09:54:00.001-04:00

Pennsylvania’s deer hunting season is now underway with archery and black powder hunting. The rifle season will come for the two weeks after Thanksgiving. Hunting is critically important to maintain Pennsylvania’s forests. With an excellent climate, good habitat, and a ready supply of food the deer would soon eat all the seedlings and saplings, as they have in many areas. With no natural predators around only hunting can help reduce the numbers.

Hunting has been a Pennsylvania tradition for a long time, as this 1961 photo from the Forest History Society shows. Click here to see the photo on Flickr and to find more information. The photo caption reads: “Woman hunter showing off her 4-point buck shot in Limestone Township, near McGee Hollow, Warren Co., Pa. Sheffield Ranger District.”

Keystone Chapter SAF Fall Meeting

2009-10-23T20:16:00.005-04:00

The Keystone Chapter of the Society of American Foresters was held (10/22) at Kings Gap State Park at the Cameron/Masland Mansion. What a beautiful day to be out in the forest!

For the technical part of the meeting Ellen Schultzabarger, Ecological Services Section Chief of the DCNR Bureau of Forestry described the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (formerly the PA Natural Diversity Inventory). Rich Schockey, Ecological Services Environmental Review Specialist discussed the importance of and the need to protect forested buffers for water conservation. The natural heritage program now has a convenient online tool to help find endangered species in most parts of the state to help planning for forestry and other operations. It will also help with the permitting process.

Penn State Mont Alto forest technician students Ethan Wall, Josiah Knopsnider, Phil Bietsch, Tim Benedict, and Severin Thierwechter attended the meeting and are seen here relaxing in the mansion's lounge. Thanks to SAF members for sponsoring the students.

During a brief business meeting the Keystone chapter elected new officers:

Chair: Steve Wacker
Vice Chair Dave Nelson
Sec./Treas. Craig Houghton
Executive Committee Members: Mike Kusko, Jr. (past chair), Scott Kurtzman, and Rachel Billingham

Use Google Maps Street View to Demonstrate Forest Management Activities

2009-10-15T10:14:00.007-04:00

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

Charles C. Mann at the SAF Convention

2009-10-09T14:18:00.004-04:00

The keynote speaker at the Society of American Foresters national convention in Orlando (10/1/2009) was Charles C. Mann, the author of 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. In this fascinating book, Mann shows that the Native American civilizations very significantly impacted the environment of North and South America in the centuries before the Europeans came.

Mann shows that it wasn't just the Aztecs, the Mayans, and the Incans who made the changes. Indians in the Amazon Basin manufactured thousands of acres of fertile soil from broken pottery and charcoal to grown their crops. They also planted fruit and nut trees extensively throughout the area. The Indians of North America thinned the forests with fire to ease travel and to make hunting better. They also bred corn to become the crop we find so useful today and extended the range where corn could be grown.

The great tragedy Mann describes was the widespread deaths of Indians from infections of the Eurasian diseases to which they had no immunity. Unlike Europe and Asia, the Indians found no domestic animals in the Americas. Consequently they didn't experience the flu and other diseases and had no immunity. Once the European settlers arrived they found an essentially depopulated continent where the forests had grown back thicker than they had been in thousands of years.

With Columbus weekend upon us, what is the signifcance of these new archaeological discoveries for forestry? Many environmentalists believe that before 1492 there was a veritable Garden of Eden in the Americas, where the Indians lived, but had no noticeable effect on the environment. Consequently, the best policy would be to return to these pre-Columbus conditions and return the environment to its pristine state. But if there was no Eden, then we have the responsibility to manage the forests for the use people and to ensure sustainability. It's just that there is no perfect state to return to. It's up to us to figure out what we want the forests to look like!

Mont Alto Students at the Society of American Foresters Convention

2009-10-06T13:00:00.003-04:00

This year’s Society of American Foresters Convention was held at the Walt Disney Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fl. Four Penn State Mont Alto students attended the convention and competed in the Quiz Bowl.

Alex Lamoreaux, Hunter Stauffer, Frank Grano, and Severin Thierwechter preparing for the first round.

A large, enthusiastic crowd watches the competition. Mont Alto beat West Virginia University in the first round and lost narrowly to Oregon State University in the second round.

View Full Album

Scenes around Coronado Springs. The Disney resorts do a good job of protecting the environment and incorporating wildlife. Check out Alex’s blog for pictures of birds and other wildlife. Also at the meeting we got a chance to visit with Mont Alto forestry alumni who are currently studying at University Park.

Starting the New Year

2009-09-01T20:12:00.002-04:00

P1060624
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Forest technology students started the new year with a Forestry Weekend at King's Gap Environmental Center last Friday 8/28. In spite of the wet weather the students got an introduction to orienteering.

Other events included pizza at Arturo's, a forestry movie night, and the freshman/sophomore picnic at Mont Alto State Park.

Class of 2011

2009-08-22T20:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Forest Technology Class of 2011 at Penn State Mont Alto! Freshman orientation was a very busy day. Fortunately, we avoided the rain on a cloudy, humid day. Classes start on Monday when we trade flip-flops for hiking boots and hardhats!

Exploring Glaciers in Alaska

2009-07-22T11:31:00.002-04:00

Mont Alto alumnus, Eric Straley, who works on forest inventory for the USDA Forest Service in Alaska, sent us this message with an accompanying video:

A few days ago I did a plot next to the Hole-in-the-Wall Glacier north of Juneau...it flows off the Taku. After Jon and I were done we went out on the ice and explored around for an hour or so before we called the helicopter. We found this sweet ice cave that went back into the glacier for 50 or so feet...it actually went further but we could only make it a little way.

Ned Smith Center Visit

2009-06-04T11:04:00.006-04:00

Mont Alto forest technology students attended the Keystone SAF Chapter meeting at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg on Tuesday, June 2. The Center, dedicated to the memory of wildlife artist Ned Smith, hosts many art exhibits in its gallery and has over 500 acres of land in a nature preserve with many hiking trails.

The program featured a presentation by retired biology teacher John Laskowski, the "Mothman". John is one of the foremost experts on moths and butterflies of Pennsylvania's forests. A fun part of the visit was a short hike across the center's bridge over the Wiconisco Creek to see a chainsaw sculpture of wildlife species carved from a white pine log. John also pointed the rare forest plant, minniebush (Menziesia pilosa), which grows by the banks of the creek.

Class of 2009

2009-05-16T19:49:00.004-04:00

P1050677
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.Congratulations to the Class of 2009 forest technology graduates at Penn State Mont Alto. It's been an unforgettable past two years! Good luck in your future endeavors.

And, lest we forget, here is the same group at freshman orientation in 2007.

End of the Year Picnic

2009-05-05T20:00:00.004-04:00

This year's sophomore picnic was very wet! Fortunately, the pavilion at Mont Alto State Park kept everyone dry. And the food was good, too! We hope the newest alumni will keep us up to date with their adventures and come back to visit often.

Stihl Timbersports Collegiate

2009-04-19T22:32:00.004-04:00

Kevin Braun represented Penn State Mont Alto in the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Mid-Atlantic Championship. He competed in the following events: Underhand chop, Stock saw, Standing block, and Single buck. Kevin came in third overall in a very strong field.

Congratulations to winner Matt Slingerland of Montgomery Community College, who will go on to the National Championship!

Mont Alto Woodsmen Win Mid-Atlantic

2009-04-19T20:16:00.002-04:00

P1050546
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

The Penn State Mont Alto Woodsmen Team won the Mid-Atlantic meet help at Allegany College of Maryland against a strong field. If everyone looks sunburned in this picture, it's because they are! It was a beautiful, sunny day! All the members of the team made great contributions. Martha King was outstanding. As the team's only female competitor she won several of the women's events.

Watch this video composite of the events.

Mont Alto Students inducted into Honor Society

2009-04-17T14:53:00.000-04:00

Three graduating Penn State Mont Alto Forest Technician students were inducted into the Council of Eastern Forest Technician Schools (CEFTS) Honor Society today. From left to right: Kevin Braun, Koby Cutchall, and Eric Monger. Eric also received a CEFTS scholarship. The Honor Society recognizes superior academic performance among forest technician students. CEFTS is comprised of colleges offering Associate degrees in forest technology in the United States and Canada.

More Forestry Students at the Academic Festival

2009-04-15T22:45:00.002-04:00

P1050374
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Ethan Bradley mapped the extent of the Appalachian Trail and the 500 foot buffer strip in Pennsylvania.

Josiah Knopsnider conducted a forest inventory and developed a forest management plan for his family's property based on the crop tree release silvicultural system.

Koby Cutchall analyzed deer harvesting levels and distribution in recent years distributed by game management zones.

Mike Wagaman discusses emerald ash borer with Phil Bietch.

Bryan Cleveland illustrated contour planting patterns on his family's farm.

Hunter Stauffer partnered with Frank Grano on a study of the decline of true butternut trees in our area.

Forestry Students at the Academic Festival

2009-04-15T22:31:00.002-04:00

P1050360
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Brandon Brantner studied the effects of gypsy moth on timber harvests in the Michaux State Forest.

Taylor Freeman mapped the watersheds in the Susquehannock State Forest Area.

Eric Monger analyzed the timber production that may be lost if a proposed mandatory buffer zone is legislated aroun streams. He used Potter County as an example.

Luke Parr mapped a major natural gas pipeline as it crosses Pennsylvania.

Mark Porambo analyzed the viewshed around a logging operation near campus in the Michaux State Forest.

Gabrielle Diakow studied water pollution in the lower Susquehenna River.

Forestry Category Winners

2009-04-15T22:22:00.006-04:00

P1050378
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Mark Mizak and Alexander Lamoreaux won first place for their presentation on building and placing nesting boxes for saw whet owls in the Waynesboro Watershed.

Ricky Hutton earned second place for his poster of Dendrology Artwork.

Kevin Braun (pictured above) and Frank Grano came in third for their project Arboretum Anticipation Plantings, that mapped soil pH around plantings in the arboretum.

Academic Festival

2009-04-15T22:17:00.003-04:00

P1050383
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Today was the fourth annual Academic Festival at Penn State Mont Alto. Many forest technology students entered projects.

Adam Runk and Dan Schrom examine Bryan's poster.

Dan Stouch and Taylor Freeman

Casey Johnson, Ethan Wall, and Severin Thierwechter listen to Mark Parambo (center)

Quiz Bowl at the Allegheny SAF Meeting

2009-02-20T11:30:00.001-05:00

Penn State Mont Alto forestry students participated in the Quiz Bowl at the Allegheny SAF Winter meeting in State College on February 19.

Frank Grano, Eric Monger, and Mark Mizak

Watching the Quiz Bowl

Despite a valiant comeback Mont Alto lost to Allegheny College of Maryland, 50 to 85. Allegheny went on to win the event.

The theme of the meeting was Changing Forest Dimensions and included a wide variety of presentations about the changing nature of forestry in the Mid-Atlantic region. Follow this link to the Allegheny SAF web page.

CCC boys from Pine Grove Furnace Camp, Pennsylvania, using tractor in road construction

2009-02-14T23:28:00.002-05:00

CCC boys from Pine Grove Furnace Camp, Pennsylvania, using tractor in road construction
Originally uploaded by Oregon State University Archives.

Pine Grove Furnace is now a State Park. It is north of Mont Alto along Rte. 233. It is amazing how much good the CCC projects did in a time of great adversity. We owe these young men a debt of gratitude!

New GPS Model

2008-11-11T21:44:00.001-05:00

Today we started using the new Garmin GPS model 60 receivers. These units have USB connections in addition to the serial ports, which is nice. They seem to work quicker than the older model 76 receivers that we have been using. They also have better graphics. And they have GPS related games! We will continue to use the older GPS units, but it is nice to have the new equipment, too.

View from the Grand Sierra

2008-11-09T18:37:00.008-05:00

This is the view at sunrise from our rooms on the 24th floor of the Grand Sierra Resort Hotel.

View Larger Map

Check out the map of Reno. The city is in a basin surrounded by mountains. Lake Tahoe is to the west.

Mont Alto Foresters Meet Bennie the Horse

2008-11-09T18:18:00.005-05:00

In what must be one of the most unusual items to appear in the silent auction for the Foresters Fund, Bennie was offered by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). Bennie is one of thousands of wild horses available for adoption from the BLM. By law the captured horses, who are not native to the American Plains and can cause a great deal of environmental damage, cannot be destroyed. They must be cared for by BLM until they can go to deserving homes. Don't worry, the auction winner must qualify as an owner and could donate Bennie back until a good home can be found.

Here we all are after meeting Bennie.

These horses, outside the hotel, don't ever actually go anywhere!

Mont Alto at the SAF Convention in Reno

2008-11-09T18:07:00.004-05:00

Mike Wagaman, Martha King, Kevin Braun, and Eric Monger represented Mont Alto in the Quiz Bowl at the Society of American Foresters Convention in Reno on November 8.

In the first round Mont Alto beat Oregon State University by 35 points. We lost to Stephen F. Austin University by 5 points in a back and forth game in round 2.

The eventual winner was Utah State University. In addition to the trophy, they won prizes from the Geico Gecko. (Each member won a toaster that branded the Gecko on the toast!)

Pennsylvania Forests Fire Museum Association Lease Signing

2008-10-26T15:41:00.003-04:00

At yesterday's annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum Association in Fayetteville, President Steve Cummings signed the lease with the Commonwealth for the use of the old headquarters building at Caledonia State Park as a new Discovery Center.

The Discovery Center will show some of the Museum's holdings and displays and raise visibility until the permanent museum is open down the road. There is still a lot of work to be done before the Discovery Center is ready. PFFMA is targeting May 2009 as an opening date.

Forest Technology Kickoff

2008-09-03T22:31:00.000-04:00

Forest technology freshmen and sophomores got together for a pizza party this afternoon in the Weistling Student Center. It was a chance for members of the two classes to get to know each other. This year's freshman class of 36 students is one of the largest at Mont Alto for many years!

Wildfire Maps

2008-07-04T10:57:00.003-04:00

This year's fire season began with unusually fierce and intense fires, especially in Northern California. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has put together an interactive Google Map showing the status of active and contained fires and emergency services. The map can be seen here.

The US Forest Service Remote Sensing Application Center has put together a number of maps in its Modis Active Fire Mapping Program. The site includes a number of imaging products including interactive ArcIMS maps and Google Earth downloads. Complete data on the fires is also available.

With more people moving into rural areas, the increase in forest fuels, and the capricious climate the problem of widlfires will be with us for a long time. Fortunately, we have reliable real time sources of information with which to study the fires and come up with solutions.

Alumni Still Have the Touch for Woodsmen's Competition Events

2008-06-22T10:26:00.004-04:00

P1030872
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.Alumni at the Penn State Mont Alto Reunion tried out Woodsmen's Competition events during the reunion on June 21st.

Coach Craig Houghton looks on as Paul Shogren and Jerry Klancer do the crosscut.

More Crosscutting.

Ken Swisher doing the bolt split.

Forestry Faculty Return

2008-06-22T10:20:00.004-04:00

P1030868
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.Retired forestry faculty returned to Mont Alto to meet their old students at the Penn State Mont Alto Alumni Reunion on Saturday June 21.

Robert Douglas was a student at Mon Alto in 1952. He taught forestry courses from1963 to 1973.

Ken Swisher taught dendrology and other forestry courses from1964 to 1996.

Nick Hunter taught at Mont Alto from 1974 to 1985.
The faculty and alumni reminisced over numerous labs in the forests around Mont Alto.

Visit to the Watershed

2008-06-22T10:05:00.006-04:00

P1030859
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.During the Penn State Mont Alto Reunion and 45th Anniversary alumni visited the Waynesboro Watershed where forest technology students carry out many field labs.

Alumnus Dennis Braun tries out the skidder used in harvesting labs in the 1970's, which is still working today. Braun's son, Kevin, is a current forest technology student at Mont Alto.

Craig Houghton, forestry instructor and program coordinator, leads the discussion at the Waynesboro Reservoir.

A fabulous day at the Reservoir

Keystone Chapter SAF Meeting Looks Up to Fire Towers

2008-05-18T11:04:00.003-04:00

Twenty-six members of the Keystone Chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), including eleven Penn State Mont Alto forestry students, met last Thursday evening at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Chambersburg.

Merl Waltz presented the History of Fire Towers in PA with a series of historical photos. The use of fire towers began at Mont Alto as the students were detailed to fight forest fires. At first they climbed prominent hills and even trees. Eventually makeshift towers were secured to tall trees. These eventually developed into manufactured steel towers placed strategically around the State. It became a source of community pride to have a functioning tower. Merle described the often tedious work of a fire tower observer and how the workers coped with the long hours and strenuous conditions.

Eventually fire towers gave way to aerial spotters. Today, with more people living in rural areas, the use of airplanes, and better communication (cell phones and radios) there is less need for towers. A few are still in use however. Others suffer from vandalism. Some may be preserved for their historical value.

Chapter chairman Mike Kusko (right) presents Ralph Heilig with his 50 year SAF Golden Membership Award.

Member Jason Hines describes his experiences at the recent SAF National Leadership Academy.

Keystone Chapter officers were elected at the meeting. From left to right: Merle Waltz (executive committee), Mike Kusko (Chairman), Scott Kurtzman (executive committee), and Craig Houghton (Secretary-Treasurer). Absent were Steve Wacker (vice-Chairman) and Rachel Billingham (Executive Committee).

Thanks to the Keystone Chapter members for generously sponsoring the students. It was greatly appreciated after a day of timber harvesting at summer camp!

Congratulations Class of 2008

2008-05-18T10:52:00.004-04:00

P1030606
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

(from left to right: Logan Droppa, Chance Yeckley, Ryan Thrush, Andrew Baker, Craig Houghton, Beth Brantley, Darren Krebs, John Westerfer, and Peter Linehan)

Yesterday's commencement at Penn State Mont Alto turned out to be the island of sunny weather between heavy rains. Congratulations to the Class of 2009!

(Andrew, Chance, and Darren)

Congratulations too to Tiffany Roddy and Matthew Reitzel, who couldn't attend the ceremony. Last but not lease, congratulations to Charles Hostetter who earned a B.A. in English. Charles studied one year in forest technology before deciding to follow his muse elsewhere. I'm sure his forestry classes will provide many stories for his studies in creative writing at the University of Maryland.

Replanting the Watershed

2008-05-01T15:05:00.003-04:00

Forest technology students have been busy the past few weeks replanting a thirty acre clearcut on the Waynesboro Watershed with hybrid loblolly trees. The previous stand had became stagnant. Last summer it was harvested. The site was subsequently sprayed with herbicide to kill invasive plants. Now it's ready for replanting! Above is a picture of the freshman silviculture class after a laborious session.

One seedling.

At work with the dibble bar.

Congratulations Woodsmen's Team

2008-05-01T14:55:00.002-04:00

On April 12th the Mont Alto Woodsmen's Team won the Mid-Atlantic meet at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC. Here are the final team scores:

MONT ALTO 140
HAYWOOD CC 91
MONTGOMERY CC 48
PENN COLLEGE 26
ALLEGANY COLLEGE OF MD 18

This win showed a strong team effort by all involved. Also, congratulations to Chance Yeckley who came in second in the Stihl Collegiate Qualifying competition.

New Pin Oak Donated to Mont Alto

2008-04-18T10:31:00.004-04:00

A 40 foot tall Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) was donated by Alumnus Jerry Klancer to the Penn State Mont Alto arboretum. The tree was planted in the field in front of the Police Services Building this past Tuesday. This is a great site as pin oak likes wet, clay soils. Thanks also to Davey Tree Company for transporting and planting the tree with their tree spade.

Jerry Klancer, Brian, and John Blake with the tree in the background.

A slide show of the planting:

photos by Craig Houghton and Peter Linehan

Mont Alto Academic Festival

2008-04-18T10:04:00.005-04:00

Forestry students competed in the Mont Alto Academic Festival on April 16th. They cleaned up in the Science/Technology

First Place: Chance Yeckley and Tiffany Roddy for "Meeting of the Pines Natural Area"
Second Place: Kevin Braun and Eric Monger "The Distribution of American Chestnuts on Oak Road"
Third Place: Logan Droppa for "Mapping Ornamental Trees: Korean Tetrainum and Amur Corktree"

Ornamental Cherry Trees

2008-04-12T19:49:00.005-04:00

P1030397
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

These beautiful cherry trees were in full bloom today outside the Shippensburg Borough Police Department. At first I thought they were the result of years of intense pruning. It turns out that these Weeping Higan Cherry (Prunus subhirtella) trees are the result of numerous branches grafted to a single stem. They certainly add a dramatic element to the landscape.

Presentation by Dr. Finley

2008-04-11T08:07:00.003-04:00

The overview of his presentation is that of the 58% of Pennsylvania that is forested, much of the land is privately owned and the size of the land is being parcelized (broken into smaller and smaller tracts). Since most land owners who harvest their forests do not hire a forester, the result is high grading and not thinking about the future forests. They are not waiting for adequate regeneration and what does manage to regenerate is not what we want to see. The main tree species that are regenerating are red maple and black birch. Deer don't eat them or fern. The fern shades out and filters the light needed by the tree seedlings and then if oak regeneration does manage to out grow the fern, the deer browse it off. If the deer don't browse it off, then the oak has to compete with the faster growing birch and maple.

Using tests such as the ASID test and fencing out deer, we can see that the deer, fern, and competition as well as invasive insects like the Gypsy moth paint a very bleak picture for the oak. One of the things that we can do is educate the public and try to use best management practices to ensure a strong forest in the future.

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/foresthealth.aspx This website discusses the concern for deer and Gypsy moth, which relate to the decrease in oak regeneration and its component in our forests, especially in our future forests.

Contour Lines Added to Google Maps

2008-04-03T11:19:00.004-04:00

I saw in the Google LatLong blog yesterday that Google has added contour lines to the terrain view. This capability was added by Iljya Kalai, a Google intern. Follow this link to the blog posting.

Here is a map I made of Mount Washington in New Hampshire:

View Larger Map

Mount Washington is the highest point on the east coast of the USA.

I am not sure how they select the contour interval. It seems to be 40 feet.

Here is another map of the Waynesboro Reservoir:

View Larger Map

This one also seems to have a 40 foot interval, too. It will be interesting to check other regions, such as the Rockies. I do like the effect of contours and shading to show elevation. This is a great option. It turns the online maps into much more of a professional tool.

Mira Lloyd Dock Marker

2008-03-16T22:46:00.004-04:00

The Historical Marker Database is a favorite I like to follow. Today the marker for Mira Lloyd Dock in Harrisburg was entered. Dock (1853-1945) was a conservation pioneer for her work in parks around Harrisburg, conservation education, and with the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission. Her marker could have been just as easily placed in Mont Alto. She was a frequent lecturer at the Forest Academy. She also mentored many of the students in the first classes, inviting them to Sunday teas at her home in Caledonia.

She also gave many talks on forestry and conservation at Mont Alto and around Pennsylvania. Take a look at some of the slides in her glass lantern shows at the Penn State Library.

New York City Parks

2008-03-11T20:44:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I visited New York City and had the chance to visit several of the parks including Central Park. This Google map shows some of the areas I visited. An urban park is a very challenging environment for trees, shrubs, and turf. They can be easily loved to death from people and pets. Fencing helps keep people in the right places and protects areas that need to be protected so that they can regenerate.

View Larger Map

Ax Men on the History Channel

2008-03-11T09:21:00.003-04:00

A new documentary series, Ax Men, on the History Channel premiered this past Sunday. The show follows the work of four different logging companies in Oregon. Each of the companies works on very steep terrain using cable logging to get the wood off the incredible slopes. The action photography is awesome. The show highlights the extreme dangers that the loggers face every day. Using first-person narration and very well done animation the show brings us into the lives and struggles of the loggers.

The four companies use similar techniques but they are very different. One is a large operation with new equipment. The owner, who lost one arm in an accident, is always experimenting with new techniques to increase production, such as using a helicopter to initially set a cable. Another company works with a small crew using a converted WWII tank as a yarder. When one worker goes home with a bad back everyone has to shift jobs and production plummets for the day.

The show concentrates on the drama of the loggers and their work. Watching it as a forester I think of the bigger picture of the forest situation in Oregon with the restrictions on harvesting and the controversies on the best way to manage the forests. The previews hint that in future episodes the decline in logging, the closure of mills, and the difficulties in the forest economy will be highlighted. Watching this show I can understand the slightly bemused attitude I have always noticed in loggers when I have been on logging tours. They know that all the silvicultural theories rely on their actions.

The loggers work under tremendous pressure. In addition to the dangers they have to maintain production to get paid. Their contracts have hard deadlines that they have to meet. It's a hard way to make a living.

This is a series well worth watching.

Henry Sipes Memorial Tree

2008-03-04T13:48:00.002-05:00

During a surveying exercise this morning I came across a memorial black walnut tree for F. Henry Sipe (PSFS 25). Sipe became a forester and surveyor in West Virginia. He wrote a book Compass Land Surveying, of which I have the final 1979 edition. It was a detailed handbook for doing forest property surveys. It's definitely a classic! It's great to have these historical reminders around the Mont Alto campus.

Differential Leveling

2008-02-26T17:02:00.003-05:00

The purpose of this lab is to use differential leveling to find the difference in elevation from Sci-Tech up to the library. The students are using transit levels and elevation rods. Part of the exercise is making the notes come out right.

Irony or Serendipity On Carbon Credits?

2008-02-19T16:26:00.001-05:00

I was looking for the dates (Nov. 5-8) for the Soc. of American Foresters Convention in Reno next fall, and discovered that the keynote speaker will be Michael J. Walsh, the executive director of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). CCX is the official marketplace for trading carbon credits under a cap and trade arrangement to reduce carbon emissions by industry. It is currently voluntary, but may become mandatory some day under new government regulations. We just heard a discussion on carbon trading at the Allegheny SAF meeting in Carlisle last week. Carbon trading raises many questions. Is it just a way for polluters to pay for continuing pollution or is it a serious effort to reduce pollution? Will the costs of running the market and the profits for the traders outway any benefits to society? I am certainly looking forward to hearing this speaker and attending the Convention!

Allegheny SAF Meeting Followup

2008-02-19T12:37:00.001-05:00

Last week's Allegheny SAF meeting in Carlisle into some critical issues in forest management in our region. The Forest Management Practices assignment was to research the topic before the meeting and write a followup report based on the speakers' presentations. Here are the student reports (in their blogs) on these issues:

Pennsylvania's Approach to Bioenergy/Ecosystem Services (Carbon Sequestration): Trent Ausherman, Kyle Peck, and John Westerfer.
Carbon Credits and Trading Schemes: Andrew Baker, Josh Reiter, and Chance Yeckley.
Cellulosic Ethanol from Forests. What is it? Will it work? Logan Droppa, Matt Reitzel.
Utilization of Low ValueWood for Biofuel in Schools and Other Institutions: Dave Gillen, Tiffany Roddy.
Natural Resources / Forestry Education. Trends and Issues: Darren Krebs, Ryan Thrush.

Bio-Control of Invasive Species

2008-02-18T16:48:00.005-05:00

The Friday morning program at the Allegneny SAF meeting last week had two interesting presentations on the control of invasive plants in the region.

Dr. Don Davis, a forest pathologist from Penn State described the discovery of two species of Verticillium fungus that seem able to control the spread of Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven). Dr. Davis noticed that stands of Ailanthus in the Tuscarora State Forest were diminishing and even dying.

With his graduate students he isolated two species of soil fungi that seemed to be doing the quick. V. albo-atrum kills trees quickly and V. dahlia doesn't kill the trees outright but causes symptoms of morbidity and reduced growth. A lot of work remains to be done to determine if these fungi can be used on a wider scale to control the rapidly-spreading tree of heaven. Here is Dr. Davis' web site.

Mile-a-minute is a rapidly spreading weed in the mid-Atlantic. Originally from China, the variety in the US is thought to have come from China. Here is a link to more information on mile-a-minute.

Dr. Judith Hough-Goldstein from the University of Delaware described research to introduce a weevil from China that can slow down or suppress mile-a-minute. The stem-boring weevil, Rhinoncomimus latipes Korotyaev, attacks the plant from the inside. It won't kill mile-a-minute, but will reduce it to manageable levels. Here is the web page that describes the work and how to get weevils to try out on your own infestations.

Allegheny Society of American Foresters Meeting

2008-02-15T14:43:00.008-05:00

P1020940
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Fifteen forest technology students from Penn State Mont Alto attended the Winter meeting of the Allegheny SAF in Carlisle on Thursday.

The quiz bowl team of Frank Grano, Chance Yeckley, and Eric Monger won the Quiz Bowl after an exciting match agains Penn State University Park.

John Schwartzer (Mont Alto alum and UP forestry senior) leads a student discussion on issues in forestry education.

Among the issues discussed at the meeting were bio-energy from forests in PA, carbon markets, wood pellet systems for heating school buildings, forestry education in the Allegheny region, and advances in biological controls of invasive plants. The students in the forest management practices class will be writing reports on the meeting for their blogs. I will add links in this space next week.

Burn Pile Service Project

2008-02-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

P1020885
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

Penn State Mont Alto forestry students are lighting the burn pile on the nursery field. Volunteers will work shifts all weekend to guard the fire. Much of this material came from the ice storm last December that cut power to campus over a whole weekend. Bring on the hot dogs!

Find more of the pictures on Facebook or Flickr.

Increase of Timber Theft

2008-01-19T19:54:00.000-05:00

This article, in today's New York Times, highlights an increasing problem of timber theft around the country. It highlights a landowner in Vermont who lost thirty or so of his best sugar maple trees, that were logged by his neighbor. The landowner was awarded $30,000 in a subsequent civil suit.

The article point out that many of the victims are elderly or poor and seldom get redress. Some species, such as black walnut, are so valuable that they have always been susceptible to timber theft. Experts aren't sure if the amount of theft is greater today, since many cases are never reported. With the high demand for American hardwood species around the world, land owners need to stay vigilant to protect their forests.

GPS satellite developments

2007-12-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

GPS World discusses Russia's recent launch of three more GLONASS satellites. This brings the total available satellites to 18, enough for navigation in Russia. Russia hopes to have a complete constellation of GPS satellites working by 2009. There was a recent news story of President Putin with his dog showing how a GLONASS-based GPS tracking device was now possible.

This follows last week's successful launch of a new GPS satellite, also described in GPS World. The new GPS IIR-18 (M) satellite will replace an existing older unit. It provides a stronger civilian signal and some new capabilities for military navigation.

This news is exciting for anyone interested in GPS. Within a few years we will have the choice of receivers using NAVSTAR (American), Galileo (European), or GLONASS (Russian). There will certainly be combinations of the different systems for even better accuracy and reliability. The combinations may be subscription-based for the extra service. I am sure there will be intense competition among providers to provide good deals and packages.

Maybe they will even solve the problem of good reception under a closed forest canopy with a low cost receiver!

Mass Tree Planting in Indonesia

2007-11-30T08:56:00.001-05:00

I heard recently on NPR and the BBC News about a massive tree planting campaign in Indonesia. Governmenta agencies all over the country were planning to plant over 79 million trees! Indonesia is usually known for its deforestation of tropical forests and the overwhelming smog from forest fires.

From the reports I heard, I feel optimistic that this campaign may be successful. First, it is a locally initiated campaign. The people seem to be behind it, rather than having it imposed from outside. They have chosen some interesting species. In addition to teak and other timber species they will be planting fruit trees that people want.

As I saw in Africa, tree planting campaigns will only work if they have popular support. Otherwise it's just too hard to make the tree-planting a success. This doesn't resolve the problem of forest clearing and fires, but it does point in the right direction.

Anne Frank Chestnut Tree

2007-11-28T16:52:00.000-05:00

One of the first blog entries I made last year was on the chestnut tree outside the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. This was the tree she mentioned frequently in her diary during her family's two year hiding from the Nazis.

The city of Amsterdam wants to remove the tree because of its advanced state of decay. Now, a year later, people who want to save the tree have sued to prevent it being cut. After hearing arguments on both sides a judge ordered the city to hold off until February. Here is a link to a BBC story on the tree.

It's interesting that the managers of the Anne Frank Museum at the house want the tree removed to prevent injury to visitors. They would rather replant a new, healthy tree. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Where am I?

2007-11-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

Reading topographic maps is a critical skill for all foresters. We can use contour lines to see a landscape in three dimensions. Here students from the Forest Mapping class are matching their location to the features on a topographic map in the Michaux State Forest and the Waynesboro Watershed.

SAF National Convention

2007-10-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

There was a lot of good information that was given at the convention. The thing that I enjoyed the most was the job exibits. I enjoy talking to people about new things, and learning new things. I met one women that is a spokes person for this new product called bird water that you can put in the ground, and it will water your trees for 90 days. While testing the product, hte resultz are outstanding. also talking with other school about their programs and getting new ideas and sharing ideas to bring back to our own schools. The one schools Forestry Club does a cost scaring program for their forestry books. You rent the book for the semester and then you get your money back at the end when you return the book. The job fair wasn't that interesting to me because the majority of the jobs were for working out west in Oregon or sorrounding area. I met a man named Al who graduated from Mont Alto in 1937 he had a lot of great stories to share with us, and he will be sending me some pictures and videos that I will share with you. For anyone that is interested in SAF I would jump on hte opertunity to go to a national meeting, it is very educational, and a wonderful experience to be in a new place.

Rethinking Fire Policy in the Tinderbox Zone

2007-10-28T17:31:00.000-04:00

This article in today's New York Times stresses changes in building codes in California to protect new homes in the most dangerous fire zones. (It also has some good photos and maps.) The changes came about because of the damage from previous fires. Even the best built homes can't withstand a total fire. The authors stress that Californians continue to rebuild in the proven danger zones, as well as build new homes. I wonder how they are able to afford home owner's insurance

Convention at Oregon

2007-10-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

First thing is first, the plane rides were a great experience for my first times flying. The convention center had interesting artwork, one was a large sculpture of a Ginkgo fruit. The bag that they gave out to everyone was nicer than the one they gave at Pittsburg. The thing(s) that I enjoyed the most was the job fair and the people that I met and heard. My favorite speaker was Richard Louv, who spoke about his concern about children not being able or just not bounding with nature. He is also the author of "Last Child in the Woods". One of the interesting people that I met was Erkki, who is from Finland. One of the things that he brought up was a question "How many lakes in Finland?". The answer that he gave me was 184,000+ lakes and the smallest lake is one acre in size. He said that 10% of Finland is water and the area where he lives is 25% water. Another interesting thing that Erkki said was that any last name ending with nen, meant that they are a Fin.

Richard Louv SAF Keynote Speaker

2007-10-25T01:35:00.000-04:00

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods was the keynote speaker at the SAF Convention today. Before his prepared remarks he mentioned the fires in California. His home is in San Diego in the danger zone. So far his home is safe and hopefully will stay that way.

Louv evoked memories of growing up in Kansas City where he had his own forest behind his house. This was a place he could call his own. He spend hours there. He would even pull up surveying stakes he might find. This is a place that will be in his heart always. His theme is that this contact with the outdoors is vital for people. We need the outdoors.

For a number of reasons children are losing this contact with the outdoors. Electronic toys, parents' fears, and a too-structured lifestyle are just some of the reasons. He says that the increase in childhood obesity, increased ADD, and the increase of stressed children are just some of the consequences. In part he blamed his own profession, journalism, for creating a climate of fear by magnifying all the dangers out there, that results in many families keeping their children under house arrest.

He cited a number of initiatives and programs to get children back outdoors. Although he says it's unlikely we will ever go back to the days of letting children roam free, we have to make sure children have that connection to the outdoors that all people need.

He really connected to this audience of foresters. Just about all of us had our special outdoor place growing up. Most of us still have one today. He did inspire all of us to try harder to find ways to work with children. That will be good for them and good for the profession of forestry.

Here is a link to Louv's web page and a link to his books in Google search.

Louv did a book signing later in the day. There was a huge line, over a hundred people I guess, waiting. The SAF shop even sold out of the book.

New Tools at SAF Convention

2007-10-25T00:56:00.000-04:00

The SAF convention is a great way to find new developments and new tools for foresters. The Portland convention is no exception. The USGS is demonstrating a new viewer for Landsat data. It has archival data and some of the most recent data from the current satellite. At the booth they showed how the imagery from various bands can be combined. I can't wait to have more time to look at it at home. http://glovis.usgs.gov

Another new tool is a brand new website interface for the FIA national forest inventory data. Previously, we had to wait for the inventory reports to come out in book form. Now the Forest Service has created a modern interface to zero in on the forestry statistics even down to the local data. fiatools.fs.fed.us The people demonstrating the site told me it just came on line last week. The help files aren't even up yet. It will be fun to learn.

Mega-Fires on 60 Minutes

2007-10-21T20:52:00.000-04:00

60 Minutes ran thought-provoking story on the increased number of extremely severe "mega-fires" in the West. Here is a link to the story on the CBS News page. The site has an article, video, and still pictures. (I'm not sure how long it will be up.)

Reporter Scott Pelley went to Idaho to visit a hot-shot crew on a fire line near Ketcham. He did an in-depth interview with Tom Boatner, who is the chief of fire operations for the federal government. Boatner confirmed that fires are larger and more frequent. He also mentioned changes in fire-fighting rules to let more areas burn if property is not threatened. They conducted the interview near the a burning fire and had to move downhill as the temperature increased!

Pelley also interviewed Tom Swetnam, a fire ecologist from the University of Arizona. Swetnam has studied the dendrochronological record and found that fire severity is much larger. They have a tremendous collection of aged cross-sections of old logs that recorded firest over the last few millenia. I am eager to look up some of his research articles.

Both Boatner and Swetnam cite climate changes towards drier conditions and a longer burning season. Global warming was mentioned several times as the cause.

Global warming may well be an underlying of the problem. But the direct causes are well known: a rapid increase in population, people building more in the wilderness area, and changes in forest management policy. The good news is that these problems can be fixed quickly if people want to. All in all, this was a very interesting report. I hope people pay attention.

Ipe wood

2007-10-19T15:19:00.000-04:00

Ipe wood is one of the coolest woods ever!! It is almost denser than water 0.9. It doesn't require chemical applications to prevent termite or mold damage. It even has the fire resistance of concrete or steel, though it will burn up eventually. Ipe wood is great for decking.

Old Railroad Ties

2007-10-07T19:50:00.001-04:00

P1020244
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

This stack of old railroad ties I found next to an exhibit of a restored railroad caboose in Norlo Park in Guilford township, Pa. The ties reminded me of how important creosote preservation was for the railroad and almost all other outdoor uses of wood.

Of course creosote, a type of oil, is very toxic. It also leaked from the wood creating even more hazards. The sites of creosote factories are Superfund waste sites. For example, the old creosote plant in Pensacola, FL was a massive cleanup headache. Fortunately, we have other ways to preserve wood. Railroad ties are often made from other materials. we should never forget about the imoprtance of creosote, though.

One of the last Fire Lookouts

2007-10-03T09:14:00.000-04:00

Today's New York Times has a feature article on Michael Gates who is a contract fire watcher on Saddleback Mountain in the Tahoe National Forest in California. Gates lives for five months of the year in a lookout shack atop the nearly 7,000 foot mountain. The article has some amazing pictures of life in the shack and views around the mountain.

Gates also has his own photo gallery with some amazing shots, many from the watchtower.

There are fewer and fewer manned lookouts (only 800 left) around as the US Forest Service and State Forest Services go to modern technologies. It takes a special person to endure living there. But I'm sure there are advantages to having a pair of human eyes watching the skyline for fires.

Many forest technology students want to work fighting fires. Not so many would want to work in a fire tower I think.

Woodland Owners Visit the Waynesboro Watershed

2007-09-23T09:49:00.000-04:00

Mont Alto forest technology students led a tour of forest management and silvical activities on the Waynesboro Watershed for members of the Cumberland County Woodland Owners Association and the Waynesboro High School Envirothon team yesterday afternoon (9/22) Below is a map of the sites visited:

View Larger Map

At the reservoir Dave Gillen discusses the purpose of the watershed, butternut canker, the importance of hickories for biological diversity and wildlife feed, and stand dynamics in an old norway spruce plantation.

Matt Reitzel described a 20+ acre clearcut to remove some stagnant softwood plantations, the problems with invasive plants, the use of herbicides, the re-establishment of american chestnut, and hybrid loblolly pine planting.

Adam Luther described a hardwood removal cut to release oaks. The twenty acre site was then fenced to keep deer. Today the oak stand is doing very well. The acorns were falling like rain.

The deer fence is essential.

Click here to see the full set of pictures.

Gypsy Moth Egg Masses

2007-09-14T14:50:00.000-04:00

The gypsy moth infestation has been very heavy in south central Pennsylvania this summer. It looks like next year will be equally as bad, or worse. These pictures are from Oak Road in the Michaux State Forest in Quincy, PA. Most of the oaks on this hillside are just covered in egg masses!

Interpreting Airphotos in the Field

2007-09-11T10:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, students in the Aerial Photo Interpretation class (FORT 230) visited selected sites on the aerial photos they are studying. Using the principles of interpretation: shape, shadow, pattern, association, texture, tone/color, and relative size, they compared the scene on the photo with what is actually on the ground today.

Given that the sets of photos we are using were taken in 1977, the element of time must also be included in the interpretation. Some areas have been harvested and others have grow in from previous harvests. Little of the area has changed through human use, however.

Here is a Google map of the sites the class visited:

View Larger Map

Digital pictures were taken at each stop and then geotagged with the location coordinates. Follow this link to see the geotagged images on a Yahoo Map in Flickr. Picasa albums also offers geotagging on a Google map as shown in this link. Each provider and format has its own advantages. There is probably a universal tool out there to combine these into one view.

Oakworm Invasion in Boiling Springs, PA

2007-09-03T16:19:00.000-04:00

This morning's Carlisle Sentinel has an article on a family's problems dealing with an outbreak of oakworms in their trees. They are understandably irritated with the falling caterpillar frass all over their yard. They are also worried that the defoliation would be be permanent, especially with the gypsy moth attacks, too.

The articles quotes experts from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry and Cumberland Valley Tree Co. that oakworm attacks tend to be very localized. There is usually no need to spray, although homeowners can if they wish.

Forest pest stories seldom make the news unless there is something catastrophic going on. Few people know the war for existence going in the forest ecosystems just a few feet from their doors.

Forestry Students Enjoy Keystone Chapter SAF Steak Fry

2007-08-31T08:37:00.000-04:00

Eleven forestry students joined the members of the Society of American Foresters PA Keystone Chapter for a steak fry and meeting at the Glatco Lodge in Hanover yesterday evening.

Retired Mont Alto professor Ken Swisher (right) watches his steak.

Mark Brown and Andrew Baker

Tiffany Roddy, Chance Yeackley, Loggan Droppa, and Craig Houghton

Chairman Mike Kusko. The business portion of the evening was to discuss plans for the upcoming Allegheny SAF regional meeting in February.

Logan Droppa and all the students introduce themselves to the group.

Greek Wildfire Catastrophe

2007-08-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

The news all weekend has been full of the Greek wildfire story. Even the site of the birth of the Olympic games is threatened. Both the New York Times and The Washington Post have carried a story by John F. L. Ross with this quote:

Forest fires are common during Greece's hot, dry summers _ but nothing has approached the scale of the last three days. Arson is often suspected, mostly to clear land for development. No construction is allowed in Greece in areas designated as forest land, and fires are sometimes set to circumvent the law.

It shows that even in forest ecosystems prone to fire, their number and severity are strongly influenced by social considerations. The politics and economics of land ownership count a lot. This has been true every place I have worked, from Pennsylvania to Burkina Faso. The toll of human suffering from these fires is unimaginable. I hope they are put under control soon.

Here is a link to a photoset from a Greek photographer on Flickr.
Here is a link to the NASA image shown here.

Class of 2009

2007-08-25T22:39:00.001-04:00

P1010812
Originally uploaded by P_Linehan.

The new forest technology students at Penn State Mont Alto gathered for new student orientation today. Even though the heat was intense, everyone stayed awake for the whole session! They can't wait to start field labs with hard hats next week!

Forest Tech Happenings at Penn State Mont Alto

Volunteering at the PFA Meeting

Dedication of the Maurice Goddard Marker

A New Year at Mont Alto

New Honor Society Inductees

Mid-Atlantic Qualifier

Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet

Academic Festival Pictures

Academic Festival Winners

Felling a gum tree; Woodsmen practice

Practicing for the Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet

10th Annual Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen's Meet

ORDER OF EVENTSApril 16, 2011

Penn State Mont Alto Foresters at the Allegheny SAF conference

Testing GPS Precision

The Life of Maurice Goddard

SAF Quiz Bowl in Albuquerque

Forestry at the Army Corps of Engineers

Forest Tech Developments

New Forest Technology Students at Penn State Mont Alto

Fatal Accident at Central Park Puts Focus on Trees - NYTimes.com

New Topographic Map Formats

Visit to Redwood Country

Graduation 2010

End of Selective Availability Anniversary

Chestnut Planting on the Waynesboro Watershed

Forestry Picnic 2010

New Honor Society Members

Academic Festival 2010

New Tools for Communicating the Forestry Message

Going Up, Anyone?

Happy New Year!

Hunting Season Underway

Keystone Chapter SAF Fall Meeting

Use Google Maps Street View to Demonstrate Forest Management Activities

Charles C. Mann at the SAF Convention

Mont Alto Students at the Society of American Foresters Convention

Starting the New Year

Class of 2011

Exploring Glaciers in Alaska

Ned Smith Center Visit

Class of 2009

End of the Year Picnic

Stihl Timbersports Collegiate

Mont Alto Woodsmen Win Mid-Atlantic

Mont Alto Students inducted into Honor Society

More Forestry Students at the Academic Festival

Forestry Students at the Academic Festival

Forestry Category Winners

Academic Festival

Quiz Bowl at the Allegheny SAF Meeting

CCC boys from Pine Grove Furnace Camp, Pennsylvania, using tractor in road construction

New GPS Model

View from the Grand Sierra

Mont Alto Foresters Meet Bennie the Horse

Mont Alto at the SAF Convention in Reno

Pennsylvania Forests Fire Museum Association Lease Signing

Forest Technology Kickoff

Wildfire Maps

Alumni Still Have the Touch for Woodsmen's Competition Events

Forestry Faculty Return

Visit to the Watershed

Keystone Chapter SAF Meeting Looks Up to Fire Towers

Congratulations Class of 2008

Replanting the Watershed

Congratulations Woodsmen's Team

New Pin Oak Donated to Mont Alto

Mont Alto Academic Festival

Ornamental Cherry Trees

Presentation by Dr. Finley

Contour Lines Added to Google Maps

Mira Lloyd Dock Marker

New York City Parks

Ax Men on the History Channel

Henry Sipes Memorial Tree

Differential Leveling

Irony or Serendipity On Carbon Credits?

Allegheny SAF Meeting Followup

Bio-Control of Invasive Species

Allegheny Society of American Foresters Meeting

ORDER OF EVENTS
April 16, 2011