PHOTO DIARY

I am responsible for planning, analyzing and implementing plant management projects on the Heppner Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest. I work with teams of people to manage our nation's trees, plants, forest fires, wildlife, water, soil, air, fish, roads, campgrounds, trails and anything else the public might use that comes from the forest! Another part of my job is to work as a silviculturist, which is a scientist that understands how forests grow and can recommend ways to create forests that are healthy and also meet people's needs.

I get to work at 6 am to meet with the timber crew and help plan out the day or week ahead. Then I check my email and phone messages to see if there's anything urgent I need to work on that day. Some days I go to meetings to coordinate with our team and decide how we are going to do a project. Other days I travel to the forest in my truck and check on contractors who are taking forest measurements or the timber sale preparation crew. Sometimes I measure and classify different aspects of the forest myself, measuring the density and age of trees and recording the type of site and vegetation where the trees are growing. Each day I do something different! Some days I manage the department's budget or hiring of new employees. Other days I fight wildfires in the district, digging hand lines or lighting backfires to control the flames. On occasion, I investigate insect and disease outbreaks in the forest or go on field trips to look at road, soil and stream interactions. Sometimes I get off work in the early afternoon and work out in our weight room or go for a run as part of our work/wellness program. Other days I work late to get a project done.

When I got to college, I realized that I needed to work with something I could physically build, shape and change. I got interested in biology while taking some pre-nursing courses. Then I volunteered at a hospital and discovered that nursing was not the career path for me. But, I kept taking biology courses and that's when I discovered the College of Forest Resources. That's where I earned a degree in Wildlife Biology with a minor in fisheries and statistics (which surprised me because I had always hated math, but somehow it made sense because it had to do with the real world and it could help solve ecological problems). Throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies I worked as an intern with the U.S. Forest Service. I went to school in Seattle and worked in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the summers. There, I learned the basics about the Forest Service and being a biologist. I earned a master's degree in Forest Resources (forest management) and after I graduated, I was placed into a forester position on the Heppner Ranger District in Oregon, where I still work. After about a year and a half, I was promoted and now manage the silviculture, timber, roads and recreation programs in the district.

I like working with all the people in our district who have different areas of expertise and learning from each of them. Every week I'm doing something different because my job has so many different aspects-I never get bored! Working outside is fun and each day I understand more about how forest ecosystems work and what I can do to create forests for our generation and the generations to come. There are always new opportunities to learn and change in my job.

I want to keep learning more about how to perform my current job to the best of my ability. My next goal is Silviculture Certification, which will be the capstone on a two-to three-year training period where I am exploring advanced analysis of forest systems. After that, the sky's the limit!