Emergency Response Training

For the last few years the forestry students have worked with the nursing students at Mont Alto to simulate emergency response to a logging accident. Using the medical training dummy, istan, the students can go train through the whole experience from a downed logger to first aid and transport, to an ER triage, and to transport on Penn State's Life Lion helicopter.


Here is a link to the article in the Chambersburg Public Opinion. This experience makes a great finale to the first aid training required for forest technology students before the forest  harvesting courses of summer camp.

Foresters Do Art, Too!

 

 

 

Forestry Students Participate in the 2013 Academic Festival

Maddie Erickson and Alex Seeley mapped deer exclosures in state forests. 

Jarrid Willette and Justin Vinglas studied the natural resources and developed a management plan for Jarrid's family's property.

Tosh Rung did two projects: soil mapping of an arboretum grove on campus and analyzing hemlock woolly adelgid  treatments in Caledonia State Park.

Joshua Brenneman reported on the history of tree specimens in the campus arboretum.

Volunteering to Remove Tree Tubes

The Penn State Mont Alto Forestry Club helped removed tree tubes at a planting site (Shriner's Knob) in the Michaux State Forest. At this site the tubes were more dispersed than the site we visited last year. The views form the top of this hill were fantastic. It would be great to come back on a more sunny day!

Timberbeast 2013

The Penn State Mont Alto Woodsmen Team had a great day at the 2013 Timberbeast hosted by Virginia Tech Forestry Club – First Place! Nine teams competed (VA Tech & Alumni, NC State, U Tenn., PSU, WVU, Warren Wilson, and Haywood CC) in 15 events including academic events (wildlife ID, wood ID, photogrammetry, dendrology and  DBH estimation) and physical events (orienteering, water boil, team log roll, pulpwood toss for distance, bolt split, bowsaw, crosscut, speed chop, and chain saw). The team travels next to Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC on April 13-14 to the Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet.

Volunteering at the Franklin County Ecopark

Penn State Mont Alto Forestry students volunteered to clear dead and dying trees from the Franklin County Ecopark in Chambersburg. It was a great opportunity to practice chainsaw skills and make a difference in the community. This park gets a lot of use from the community and youth groups.

The park is located on the Conococheague Creek near I-81. 

View Volunteering at the Franklin County Ecopark in a larger map

Climbing the BIG TREE!

The Arboriculture class climbed the 134' yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) today helped by Cumberland Valley Tree Service arborists and Mont Alto grads, Dave Poe and Jeremy Redding. All rope work - no bucket truck here! Nice Job!

Tree Care Industry Expo

Forest Technology students Jason Owings, Tosh Rung, Zach Dubbs, and Tyler Hoffman participated in Student Career Days at the Tree Care Industry Expo in Baltimore, MD on November 9. They spent the morning competing in the speed climb, work climb, throw bag, an equipment safety test and arboriculture written exam, against students from 17 other Universities, Technical Colleges, and High  Schools.  In the afternoon we went to the Trade Show to see equipment, technical tree care demonstrations, and to mingle with tree care employers.

Advanced Tree Climbing with Aaron Feather from Cumberland Valley Tree

On October 17 Aaron Feather visited our Arboriculture class to work on new knots and advanced climbing techniques. Here he is setting up as the sophomore class looks on. Later, Aaron raced Mr. Houghton in a foot-locking contest. Even with a handicap, Mr. H. looked pretty slow and Aaron looked really fast! I will be investing in the 'Raptor' for next time! Many thanks to Aaron and Cumberland Valley Tree.

New Sawmill for Mont Alto

The Forest Technology program at Penn State Mont Alto has acquired a Wood-Mizer portable sawmill. We don't yet have a home for it on campus. It is still at the dealer at Shade Gap. Recently, forest technician students visited the sawmill and got a chance to run it as seen here.

 

A new metal building will be built at Mont Alto. Following engineering and architectural planning the mill should be in place before the start of the Fall 2013 semester. Enjoy the video. 

Tree Tube Removal

P1120546, a photo by P_Linehan on Flickr.

Tree tubes are frequently used to protect seedlings from deer browsing. Many types of tubes should decompose after a few years when the tree grows out of the reach of the deer. In this case on the Michaux State Forest the tubes did not degrade, even after ten plus years, often causing severe damage to the tree. In this case where the tree grew right into the tube, there is a thick layer of moss, indicating that water was retained.

This past Friday, forest technology students from Mont Alto volunteered to help remove failed tubes on the Michaux State Forest. It's very labor intensive to remove what should have fallen away by itself.

Volunteering at the PFA Meeting

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

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

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

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

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:

1.  Daniel Jones, Haywood CC.
2.  Tim Benedict, Penn State, University Park
3.  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

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:

1. Haywood Community College
2. Penn State Mont Alto
3. Montgomery Community College
4. Allegheny College of Maryland
5. Pennsylvania College of Technology

Academic Festival Pictures

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

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

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.