This past weekend, the Academy hosted its first post-pandemic Advanced Educational Training, and it was tree-mendous! Exclusively designed for our Academy alumni, this unique weekend program offered an immersive experience in the forestry field and wood products industry.
Friday evening kicked off with students reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones through icebreaker activities. As the sun set and the full moon rose above the treetops, everyone gathered around the campfire for songs with Van Wagner—an educator, forester, and musical artist. Van’s tunes gave students a rooted understanding of the history of forestry in Pennsylvania. The night ended with s’mores and camaraderie around the fire.
Songs around the campfire with Van Wagner.
Group photo with Van Wagner.
Saturday was action-packed! Students began their day in the woods, learning tree identification and exploring the connection between forestry and wildlife habitat. Next, they boarded the bus for a field trip to Metzler Forest Products, where they toured the facility and saw firsthand how wood products are processed. Upon returning, students dove into career discussions and got their hands dirty with a group project – building a small bench while calculating board feet for the materials. They even had a chance to explore the forestry field through a virtual reality simulation. The day wrapped up with a walk led by Mike Powell, a Penn State Extension educator, who highlighted forestry management practices being conducted on-site at Krislund. The evening ended once again by the campfire (and in the much warmer lodge) – where s’mores, laughter, and competitive card games filled the night air.
Students identified trees and explored the connection between forestry and wildlife habitat.
Field trip to Metzler Forest Products.
Constructing small benches and calculating the board feet used in the project.
Virtual reality simulation.
Forestry management walk led by Mike Powell (Penn State Extension).
On Sunday morning, students and their families explored the Department of Agriculture’s “Woodmobile”, a 34-foot trailer featuring interactive displays on forest history, threats like invasive bugs and diseases, wood types, and how forest products are made.
Students learned about forestry products from Amy Shields (AHUG) in the PA Department of Agriculture’s “Woodmobile”.
All in all, it was an un-be-leaf-able weekend with our alumni as they branched out into the forestry industry. One student shared in their post-program survey, “The program was super informative. My eyes were opened to the extent of the wood products industry. All the hands-on learning was engaging and educational. It was awesome to learn from people who genuinely enjoy what they do.”
We are thrilled to celebrate our young alumni returning to the Academy to further their education. A special thank you goes to the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council (PA Dept of Ag), Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, Keystone Wood Products Association, Northern Tier Hardwood Association, Generations Forestry Inc., Metzler Forest Products Inc., Penn State Extension, Lumber Heritage Region, Workforce Solutions of North Central PA, and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association for making this program possible.
The photos used in this blog belong to the Academy.
Advanced Educational Training – Forestry Recap
Posted: October 26, 2024 by Katie Mace
This past weekend, the Academy hosted its first post-pandemic Advanced Educational Training, and it was tree-mendous! Exclusively designed for our Academy alumni, this unique weekend program offered an immersive experience in the forestry field and wood products industry.
Friday evening kicked off with students reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones through icebreaker activities. As the sun set and the full moon rose above the treetops, everyone gathered around the campfire for songs with Van Wagner—an educator, forester, and musical artist. Van’s tunes gave students a rooted understanding of the history of forestry in Pennsylvania. The night ended with s’mores and camaraderie around the fire.
Saturday was action-packed! Students began their day in the woods, learning tree identification and exploring the connection between forestry and wildlife habitat. Next, they boarded the bus for a field trip to Metzler Forest Products, where they toured the facility and saw firsthand how wood products are processed. Upon returning, students dove into career discussions and got their hands dirty with a group project – building a small bench while calculating board feet for the materials. They even had a chance to explore the forestry field through a virtual reality simulation. The day wrapped up with a walk led by Mike Powell, a Penn State Extension educator, who highlighted forestry management practices being conducted on-site at Krislund. The evening ended once again by the campfire (and in the much warmer lodge) – where s’mores, laughter, and competitive card games filled the night air.
On Sunday morning, students and their families explored the Department of Agriculture’s “Woodmobile”, a 34-foot trailer featuring interactive displays on forest history, threats like invasive bugs and diseases, wood types, and how forest products are made.
All in all, it was an un-be-leaf-able weekend with our alumni as they branched out into the forestry industry. One student shared in their post-program survey, “The program was super informative. My eyes were opened to the extent of the wood products industry. All the hands-on learning was engaging and educational. It was awesome to learn from people who genuinely enjoy what they do.”
We are thrilled to celebrate our young alumni returning to the Academy to further their education. A special thank you goes to the Pennsylvania Hardwoods Development Council (PA Dept of Ag), Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, Keystone Wood Products Association, Northern Tier Hardwood Association, Generations Forestry Inc., Metzler Forest Products Inc., Penn State Extension, Lumber Heritage Region, Workforce Solutions of North Central PA, and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association for making this program possible.
The photos used in this blog belong to the Academy.
Category: Youth Blog Tags: Advanced Educational Training, featured, forestry