Hello, yall I've been working outdoors for a small number of years doing outdoor guiding and absolutely loved it but the money sucks. I've done tree climbing for residential and now power lines(benefits), better money but I don't like the inconsistency of it. I haven't gone to college yet, I'm 26 and feel like I'd be open to it if I found my path, but I set out into the world wanting to gain enough experience to replace a degree. I've been living out of vehicles for 4.5yrs so I'm cool with some inconsistency in work and moving a round. A special interest of mine is neurology, how people and systems work. I like thinking big picture but also very much doing the work getting my hands dirty. I definitely can't be in an office even for most of the day. My old dream pre covid was to work for outward bound as a guide, but I'm a different person now. It's still a consideration but I want to hear about some other jobs

I feel like forestry is similar and I don’t know where else to ask about this. It’s a relatively specialized degree that’s not offered by many schools but I’m going to WVU and they have it. I’m just wondering if anyone knows what the college experience and classes would be like. More importantly are there well paying jobs I could get after graduation?

I'm finding mixed answers about this from a google search, with some saying it'll only regrow from the root crown, and other saying it can regrow from any fragments left behind.

I have a couple of large basswood trees that are being cut down so they don’t fall on a fence. From what I’ve read it doesn’t have a lot of heat value and splits hard. Looking for ideas on what to do with it. Thanks in advance.

Hello, I have just inherited a tree farm with some ash trees and black walnut trees. I know nothing about forestry or anything like that. Where should I go to learn?

So I understand education is a sure-fire way to get in the door.

But I’m wondering if anyone has any ideas if there is a possibility to just start working and gain experience as you go?

I have a regular full time business but we do have a decent amount of downtime. I’ve been looking at the acv 135 skid with a forestry head. Is anyone here in that line of work? I have a buddy doing it in Texas and he seems to be doing pretty good. I’d be looking at about 200k to jump into this. I’m in nw pa and not a lot of people doing it that I can find. The ones I do find 4 plus hours away are charging between 2-3k a day.

I am currently an engineer seeking a career change. In the next couple of years, I will be in a position to attend graduate school to study forestry, wildlife biology, or fish and wildlife management. I am extremely interested in getting book, and preferably some text book, recommendations to build a base and narrow my scope as to which type of program I will apply for. I would really appreciate any recs. I am very interested in fire-dependent ecosystems.

Hello all, I've recently been offered a position at a very reputable forest management firm. I am a forester currently living in Toronto, however the job is in Temiskaming area (around 5 hours away).
My girlfriend is a city gal and will not be relocating with me. I would like to be totally transparent with the employer about my situation with my partner and try to negotiate either remote work opportunities or a 4 day work week so I can spend time with my partner in Toronto. Has anyone else been in a scenario like this? What can I do to get the most time with my partner while working and living far away? Anything I can say to the employer to sway them to negotiating an arrangement? I really want the job so I don't want them to rescind the job offer because I'm asking for too much.

Thanks in advance! Let me know about your experiences if you can relate!

Howdy folks. I am currently a silv Forester with the forest service - I've been a field going employee with the agency for 6 years now (have held several positions in that time, all on the same district)

I have an upcoming 120 day detail as a NEPA coordinator, and this detail will basically be fully remote as I wanted to test drive a full "work from home" scenario.

Initially I was very excited about the opportunity, but as the start date of it approaches I am dreading it. We are in the height of spring and I am loving going to the field every day (as I always have), enjoying the peace and quiet, the physicality of the job.

This detail comes as a potential opportunity to move up and get closer to home as well - I am 10 hrs from family now (driving), and the detail is on a district much closer to home on a forest that hasnt been hiring much recently. I also know that I am only getting older, and these knees aren't going to handle being a field going employee forever, but I feel like a lot of my identity is tied to getting to be out in the woods every day.

My question is: have you transitioned from mostly field to mostly office work? How was that transition for you? Why did you make it?

Any discussion is really appreciated.

I have a bachelor degree in environmental Management but would like to hone in on Forestry.

Is anyone familiar with a forestry technician program in Canada that can be completed relatively quickly?

Thank you in advance

Anyone have any book suggestions to learn more about dendrochronology?

I recently bought 80 acres, looking to clear cut a couple fields as well as clean up the road system. Not sure who to consult about the possibility of selling the timber and having them do the work (forestry service, independent consultant, mill, etc.). I have very old, large timber all over the property. please advise if this question is best for another sub.

Pretty much what the title says. My dad and his friend purchased a slice of woods in the Northern Lower Peninsula between Cadillac and Kalkaska with hopes of having a place to hunt deer. While the land is mostly gorgeous Beech-Sugar Maple-Hemlock forest, there's a swath of Pine Barren land that's dominated by Bracken Fern with some short grasses at the ground-story (fescue, and I think some Little Bluestem). He wants to turn this portion into land that hosts food to attract deer to the property for hunting.

Now hunting ethics aside, his grand plan is to herbicide the area and plant beets here. I'm convinced there's another, smarter way to do this to not only provide a food source for deer, but to increase the biodiversity while keeping this natural community intact.

I thought I'd see if anyone had any ideas as to where to start. I just checked out a copy of 'A Field Guide to the Natural Communities of Michigan' to help me understand which species are typically found in this community in hopes of finding some that provide food for deer populations/other.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I'm a Canadian forest technician with a significant amount of experience. I jist syarted with a new company i really like but with all the tax increases coming I don't think I'll be able to afford to live in canada anymore. I'm considering looking for work in the U.S. anyone have any recommendations for which states are good for forestry and what companies to look at.

Hey everyone,

I hope you're doing well. I'm feeling a bit frustrated because I'm in my final semester of my engineering degree, and I'm currently taking a projects management course. Suddenly, I find myself needing to plan a massive project for the forestry harvesting of a tree species native to Patagonia (Lenga or Nothofagus pumilio).

The catch is, these trees have massive logs, some over 1 meter in diameter, and I'm struggling to find any information on how they're typically harvested. Do any of you happen to have any insights or resources on this topic? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

As a kid, I loved nature, and still do. If the rest of my childhood was great, and I had a better mother and father, and gone on camping trips, hiked, and built things together, or just had parents who supported my interests, I'm sure I wouldve spent my whole life loving and getting to know nature, and wouldn't be suffering from imposter syndrome.

Instead, because of how messed up my childhood was, I pushed everything to the side to pursue research in child welfare. Which felt good per se, but was emotionally draining. I totally disconnected from nature and just fell depressed. A decade later, I'm at my limit. I'm so fucking sad and want to just take myself on the camping trip I never got as a kid. I want to leave this industrial town and see cool shit. It just feels weird because I don't know much about nature anymore and feel bad putting aside my hard work in child welfare.

I think I will come back to it. And my background in policy can help me better protect the environment once I do start working with nature and learn more about it. Maybe one day I can even marry the passions, like push for more schoolchildren to go on out of state field trips. But right now, it all seems very fuzzy.

I'm scared of the new thing, you know? But I'm confident I can learn and I know this would only be a good experience for me.

EDIT:

From the bottom of my heart, that of a lost kid, thank you everyone for giving your perspective and making me feel at home with nature.

Found many piles of cut ferns in managed Oregon Doug fir woodland. Is this for minimizing fire fuel, giving more water and nutrients to the trees, or something else?

I am in the 2nd year of my BS in forensic psychology and the subject has always been a long time interest from a very young age. I have always wanted to have a hand in helping humanity in some way, it has always just felt like a personal mission. I also have a deep appreciation for nature, and being outdoorsy is something that is just natural to me. I hike regularly, enjoy spending time in the deep woods, checking out plants and trees, and just overall soaking in nature.

I’m only just recently considering my love for nature and outdoorsy lifestyle in my career path because I previously didn’t wish for a structured career. I am moderately enough anti-social and don’t really work well in long-term, close-relationship style roles. Forensic psychology seemed good to me because it gave me the chance to study psychology at a collegiate level and still help for the good of humanity overall, that is still case by case and not long term connections with clients. After working for a government agency by contract recently, I realized I didn’t want to be in that type of setting all the time, my anxiety about the environment was through the roof every single day.

The google searching I’ve done has so many different levels of information regarding forestry, botany, environmental style careers and the like. It’s been difficult to decipher if forestry is the right choice when looking for a less typical lifestyle while still helping for the greater good and earning enough to at least provide and survive, the bonus is the potential environment. I feel confident saying an outdoor job would suite me.

Any opinions, advice, direction, or insight would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to also let me know if I’m just having an existential crisis about my education and career and totally out of touch with reality regarding forestry and the like. Thank you.

I'm currently in Peace Corps and have about 1 more year before moving back to the states. I'm pretty confident about a career in forestry though I have a bachelors in an unrelated field and only some experience with conservation and restoration work in CO. I've been looking at master programs that would help jump start me into the field, but would probably get some seasonal work experience prior to doing that. I just had some lingering questions since reading through this sub. Appreciate any help and advice

1. I'm leaning towards an MF, but wondering what sort of jobs people do get with an MS in forestry or similar degree. I hear academia but I'm honestly not sure what a day to day like that looks like. Or who they usually get hired by?

2. Does it help to take an accredited GIS course or can I just learn any old way (looking at a UC Davis course on coursera thats decently cheap)

3. Are there any books/skills/courses I can do before moving back. I have a lot of downtime here.

4. What was the time line of your career where you felt like you were making decent enough money? I know this isn't a lucrative field, but I've lived off peanuts for sometime now in exchange for sunsets and lifestyle

Thanks

The Spring SAF Young Professional Virtual Meet-up has been scheduled for Tuesday April 16 from 2-3:15 EDT.

More info to come as the date gets closer.