Leveling Lab

This year has been very difficult for outdoor forestry labs with all the storms and the resulting class delays. Yesterday we took advantage of a break between storms to do an introduction to leveling in Surveying.

Mont Alto Forestry Students at the Keystone Chapter SAF

The Keystone Chapter SAF (Society of American Foresters) met atStrawberry Hill Nature Preserve for our fall meeting. Executive Director Chuck Reid led the members on a tour of the forestry operations at Strawberry Hill. We also visited the Tree Farm Number One site, previously owned and managed by Glatfelter Paper, that is now part of the Michaux State Forest. District Forester Roy Brubaker outlined plans to add the forest site to the State Forest's program. Glatfelter foresters filled us in on how the property was previously managed.

Six Mont Alto forestry students attended the meeting and the dinner at the Pavilion at Strawberry Hill. Many thanks to the SAF members who sponsored the students. 

Students introduce themselves

Looking over a thinning/harvest site at Strawberry Hill

Thinning/ Harvest site

At Tree Farm Number One

Pond at Strawberry Hill

Cabin at Strawberry Hill

Check out the meeting on this map.

PSU 24

Today is a social campaign called #PSU24 to highlight everything happening at Penn State in one day. Our Penn State Mont Alto Forest Technology contribution is on Twitter and Facebook.
Here is the picture we used and a few more.

Volunteers Provide Tree Care in the Arboretum

Over 30 students, alumni, and faculty participated in the “Every Day is Arbor Day” event, on Oct. 11, during Parents and Family Weekend.

Throughout the day, they worked in the Penn State Mont Alto Arboretum, removing dying white ash trees from behind Mont Alto Hall, pruning dead branches from the oaks that line the library drive, and eradicating exotic invasive trees. Also, following a short lunch break, the forest technology students participated in a woodsmen demonstration.

Seven Penn State Mont Alto alumni, who are employed with Bartlett Tree Experts, Cumberland Valley Tree Service, Winterthur Estates, and ArborMetrix, volunteered their time for a day of service. In addition, the Chambersburg office of Bartlett Tree Experts donated the use of a chipper and truck for the day.

Overall, it was very productive day and saved Penn State Mont Alto thousands of dollars in tree care, according to Forest Technology Instructor Beth Brantley.
More photos of the day can be viewed here.

Society of American Foresters Convention at Salt Lake City

This year three Penn State Mont Alto students attended the SAF Convention in Salt Lake City. This year the convention was combined with the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) and IUFRO meetings. Here are a few pictures.

Here are the quiz bowl participants . Aaron Lewis, Alex Storm, Ethan Mansfield, and Coby Salmon. Alex was on the winning team! (Aaron and Coby are current Mont Alto students. Alex and Ethan graduated this past May and are now at UP). This year students from different schools were combined with Canadian and international students.

On Friday we did a little sight-seeing and visited scenic Provo Canyon where there are some very interesting parks and the amazing Bridal Veil Falls.

Coby Salmon, Aaron Lewis, Ben Stephey, and Peter Linehan

Bridal Veil Falls

On the way back to the main road we came across these mule deer. 

Many thanks to Mr. Marc Lewis (Aaron's Dad) for suggesting the outing and renting the car!

Penn State Mont Alto Arboriculture Class Receives Gifts!

Penn State Mont Alto Arboriculture Class Receives Gifts!

The Forest Technology program received 16 brand new climbing lines from New England Ropes and Teufelberger and to top it off, the Maryland Arborist Association donated $1000 for new climbing saddles! Two students, Taylor Reneker and Jacob Sempowski, try the new Safety Blue Hi-Vee climbing lines and the class smiles while Jeremy Baker, employee of Antietam Tree and Turf and Vice-President of the Maryland Arborist Association presents the check.

 

It's a new year!

This evening we had the forestry picnic at the Mont Alto State Park where the new students and sophomores got to meet at the historic pavilion. This year we had pizza, instead of a cookout, to accommodate everyone's schedule as several students had a six o'clock class!

We had a quiz game with mixed teams of students from both years. Here is the winning team made up of Caleb, Ben, Austen, and Ben.

Class of 2014

Here is the graduating class of forest technology students at Penn State Mont Alto for 2014. Good work guys!

Academic Festival 2014

Forest technology students were big participants in this year's Academic Festival, as seen below.

Joshua Brenneman won third place with his project: Reforestation Potential of non-native tree species within Michaux Forest. Joshua also earned an honorable mention in the art exhibit.

Josh Rittenhouse researched the interactions of Allegheny wood rat raccoons with an infection of roundworms.

Tyler Hoffman and Dakota Aldinger evaluated the requirements to make a trail in the Michaux State Forest ADA accessible.

Ethan Mansfield, Coby Salmon, Kyle Beaver and Aaron Lewis evaluated an American Chestnut plantation in the Waynesboro Watershed.

Aaron Lewis and Ethan Mansfield developed a wildlife management plan for a forest landowner.

Coby Salmon studied the possibility of using goats as a method for controlling Japanese Angelica Tree on the Waynesboro Watershed.

Alex Storm and Brady Rosenberry created a wood identification display.

Rothrock Legacy: A Forum on the Past and Current Condition of Penn's Woods

The Forestry Club, the Pennsylvania Forestry Association and the South Mountain Partnership sponsored a panel discussion on Joseph Rothrock's conservation legacy last evening (3/27) at Penn State Mont Alto.

The speakers, pictured above, were Nancy Baker, Matthew Keefer, and Joseph Barnard (seated l-r). Standing is Richard Lewis, the moderator from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association.

Barnard spoke on the career and conservation activities of Joseph Rothrock. Keefer described the conditions of Pennsylvania's forests today and challenges for the future. Baker spoke of her family's experience with and attachment to their 163 acre forest that they have owned for almost 140 years.

It was a fascinating program followed by some thought provoking discussion.

National Botanic Garden Field Trip

Penn State Mont Alto students and faculty Beth Brantley and Craig Houghton, thanks to a generous gift from Mont Alto alum '58 George Siehl, traveled to the Nation's Capital to see the sights including the US Botanic Garden, lunch at the National Museum of the American Indian, and free time to walk and see other Smithsonian museums. A fun time for all!

BIG TREE CLIMBING AT MONT ALTO!

Cumberland Valley Tree Service arborists, Dave Poe and Jeremy Redding, help out with the annual Big Tree climb at Penn State Mont Alto in the 142' yellow-poplar! Thanks Dave and Jeremy and
good job to the Forest Technology students!

Can you find 20 climbers in this tree?

Here are 18 sophomore Forest Technology students

(Ethan, Levi, Mike, Kurt, Spencer, Ben, Kyle, Richie, Dylan, Matt, Brady, Jack,
Alex, Zach, Josh, James, Joshua, Tyler and Robert - still in the tree)

Mont Alto Forest Technology students assess and improve arboretum tree health using a Resistograph and an air-spade from Bartlett Tree Experts, Chambersburg Office (October 30).

Shane Wagoner, Bartlett Tree Experts, uses the

 Resistograph to measure tree decay.

Student, Richie Scott, air-spades soil to loosen it and then Bio-Char is added and incorporated to improve soil conditions for a campus arboretum pin oak (below).

Brad Evans, Bartlett Tree Experts (far right), added Bio-Char and 'Boost," a fertilizer to this white oak while Tyler Hoffman finishes up by raking the loose soil back over the fine roots.

Mont Alto students compete at the Tree Care Industry Expo in Charlotte, NC November 14-16. (Zach Dubbs, Tyler Hoffman, Mike Claar, and Jack Ingram)

The Student Career Days included students from 13 other colleges and universities: Utah State, Brigham Young, Purdue, Allegany College of Maryland, and Wisconsin to name a few.  The 5 events were: belayed tree climb,  work climb, throw line installation, safety equipment inspection, and a written arboriculture exam.

Here are the guys getting ready to climb. (Mike, Zach, Tyler, and Jack)

They were even the fastest "Pit Crew" at the NASCAR Hall of Fame where the opening reception took place! (Zach, Tyler, and Mike)

We also went on a field trip to the Bartlett Tree Experts Research Lab to see insect and disease diagnostics and the arboretum of more than 11,000 trees! An excellent educational experience!


Next year's Tree Care Industry Expo in in Hartford, Connecticut.

Penn State Mont Alto Forest Technology Arboriculture Students Take to the Sky!

Steve Nagy and Chris Miller from the Davey Tree Expert Company join Mont Alto students with a 60-foot aerial lift and brush chipper. We removed dead branches from a beautiful campus arboretum sycamore. Thanks to Davey Tree!

PENN STATE MONT ALTO ARBORETUM WORK DAY

That's a work crew! Mont Alto alumni Kevin Braun '09, Certified Arborist at Winterthur and Frank Grano '09, Certified Arborist, Bartlett Tree Experts (kneeling L and R), John Richter '59 (standing 5th from L), and Adam Wentzel '12 (not  pictured), with Penn State Mont Alto students and faculty Craig Houghton and Beth Brantley (not pictured). Students L to R: Brett Seidel, Ben Stephey, Marc DeWindt, Joshua Brenneman, Robert Voneida, Tyler Hoffman, Jack Ingram, Kurt Sherrard, Mike Claar, Mike Crone, Alex Storm and Robbie King (not pictured). They contributed 85 personnel hours in the Penn State Mont Alto Arboretum on Saturday, October 19, 2013 in the Conifers of the World Grove. The Chambersburg office of Bartlett Tree Experts donated the use of a chipper and truck for the day of service. Dead branches and trees were removed, invasive species were eradicated, brush was chipped, and trees were pruned. It was a fabulous day of hard work and volunteer service to the Arboretum!

What is the CCC?

Paul "Sunshine" Shogren shared the story of the CCC program from the Great Depression era and how mich work the enrollees did to further conservation. He also shared stories of his time at Mont Alto with today's students.