It’s quite strange to think that the field season is drawing to a close. The Bighorn Mountains have already seen their first snowfall for the season, which kept us out of the field for a day. As hunters begin to take to the woods, the days spent with boots on the ground are dwindling, and much is being done to prepare for the end of the fiscal year. Together with my mentor we must gathering and processing data, totaling sales, generating maps and writing reports, and the deadline is looming ever closer and closer.
Reflecting back on the field season, there are many non-forestry, yet still highly beneficial experiences I have had in the field with other specialists this season. I’ve been able to spend time with wildlife biologists, archeologists, and recreation specialists to both collaborate on projects as well as to see what they do on a daily basis. It’s incredible how so many unique aspects interplay in our Public Land System. The Bureau of Land Management is often termed a multiple use agency, and that’s no exaggeration.
One important realization came as I began thinking about the next steps I’ll be taking in my career after the CLM Internship. As I begin searching for jobs and contacting potential future employers, it’s incredible how specific some forestry jobs are. For instance, the BLM has one forester and one intern for two field offices in Wyoming, and we get to do everything related to the forests such as timber stand improvement projects, contract timber sales, public forest product sales, reconnaissance for future areas, manage disease and insect outbreaks, and take all the information gathered from the field back into the office.
If it were not for the CLM internship and the BLM, I’d only have been exposed to a small fraction of what it takes to manage a forest. This experience has been foundational in my development as a forester and land manager, and has given me the chance to both learn and practice the skills of a forester. I have not only learned a few skills to complete a small part of the forestry process, but I’ve been involved with the whole process from start to finish. Quite the education experience!
Mountain Top Meadow
My Home is back in the Trees