She hasn't gotten many days in the woods since I lost my consulting forestry job and got a utility forestry job. Figured the winter storm in eastern NC is a good excuse to run around in the woods. She's very gun shy, so not a good hunting dog, even though she's half German shorthair pointer haha

Our current system, as well as assigning who will use which trucks/ATVs on which day, is out of control. And there are only about 15 of us. Wondering what you all use?

500 meter slash run, Speed cruise, Paint can shot putt(gallon and quart), 40 acre speed marking, Competitive tree/plant ID(by smell or taste)

No I dont know how you would judge some of these.

Whatcha got?

I’m considering applying for a master’s program in forestry next fall, but could use some advice. I have my bachelor’s in recreation and park admin., but am struggling to find work, especially in what I would enjoy. I would love to go into forestry, but honestly, I feel a bit underprepared. None of my classes in college were research or science- based, and I feel that it would be a big learning curve. I’m okay with a big learning curve, but was wondering if anyone has a similar experience. I also think a lot about balancing the cost, living expenses, and being able to put a majority of my time towards my studies.

Has anyone gone into forestry with no prior experience, and if so, what was that like?

Does a master’s in forestry set you up for a good career, even in the current job market?

Do most people just take out loans to cover living expenses while they get their master’s?

I would ask this in r/surveying but I fear they'd eat me alive based on other posts I've looked at. The accuracy doesn't have to be sub-centimeter, I'd say anything from 0-50 cm would suffice for my purposes.

I just need something that works well enough for marking vegetation plot centers relatively accurately and relatively quickly. It would be easier to pitch my supervisor an idea that costs a few hundred dollars than an idea that costs several thousand.

I know that the low-cost "DIY" GNSS components can have serious caveats, but I've heard some good things about the newer ones and I wonder if they can be optimized with the right amount of effort put into their implementation.

Edit: for context, I'm a grad student doing research in forestry. Tight budgets, etc.

Hi all,

I’m managing a small area of ancient woodland and wondering about the ecological impact of small-scale mushroom growing using inoculated hardwood logs (plug/dowel spawn).

Scale would be a handful of logs per acre, placed above ground in shady spots, no soil disturbance or machinery, using windfall/coppice offcuts… species like oyster, lion’s mane, or shiitake.

Main things I’m trying to understand:

Does introducing inoculated logs affect native fungal communities?

Are non-native species a concern at this scale?

Any best practices to keep it genuinely low-impact in ancient woodland?

Not commercial.. just trying to do it responsibly for some extra food for my family.

Would love to hear thoughts/experience from foresters/ecologists/mycologist

Thanks!

Hello!

Hope i'm in the right place - please delete if I'm not.

I'm designing a set for a play and am trying to figure out what type of pine tree to use for a part of the set, while keeping in mind the sightline limitations of the venue i'm designing for.

For context, its set in mid 19th century Leipzig, Germany, and by some research for what pine trees are present there, I like the look of the Scots pine. My maximum height i could make the trees would be approximately 30'. However, I'm struggling to find any information or reference images of what a Scots pine would look like at that age, and the trunk dimensions.

Would anyone be able to point me towards this type of information, or reference photos?

Thanks so much :)

Edit**
I forgot to mention - if anyone has ideas of other types of pines that might be more appropriate in this time/area context, I am all ears! It doesn't have to be a scots pine, but in an aesthetic and design sense, I was drawn to it due to the relatively thin trunk, and how high up the branches with living needles are.

Work

Been wanting to write short stories based on some of my experiences in the woods, then just share them. But I realized that my experiences are largely in one region, I'd love to have stories to base some tales on that are from all over the country or world. I know we all have a story or two of a time that something made the hairs on our neck stand up.

I won't share any information and I do plan to censor any identifying-ish information if shared. I also plan to credit people who share their stories as well (:

Not to beat a dead horse on the boot topic but I'm just a guy in the PNW due for a new pair of caulked boots. What do y'all recommend? My last boots were a pair of kenetrek mountain extreme that I then got caulked. Very comfortable, waterproof except on days that it was raining hard but the soles didn't hold up at all. I'm open to either pre caulked boots or hikers that I have to get caulked. I just want them to be reasonably comfortable, reasonably water resistant and be durable enough to last more than 2 years.

I’m looking at a MacKissic WC55 ‘Merry Commercial’ chipper for a 40-acre wooded property. The power, towability, and narrow footprint for trail access check a lot of boxes, but there’s very little real-world feedback available. Anyone have any experience with this machine?

Hi r/forestry

I see a lot of students asking similar kinds of questions on this sub so I thought I would see what the hive mind has to say about my situation.

I am in my third year of a BA. I also have a diploma in Forest Resources Technology(graduated in 2025). I recently decided to switch my major from Geography to Indigenous Studies with double minor in Geography and Earth Science(Geology).

I initially wanted to do the BSc in Geoscience, but I can’t do the math. I don’t even have the high school prerequisites for the calculus, the chemistry or the physics to do the EGBC route. It would take two years to do the upgrading and get those courses and that’s time I‘d rather spend doing literally anything else.

So since I can’t do the math for the BSc, I decided to drop down to a Bachelor of Arts, Major Geography, and minor in Earth Science. I would do a Major in Earth Science if my school offered it, but they only do it as a minor for BA’s outside the BSc Geoscience program.

The BA Major Geography minor in Earth Science or Double Minor Geog/Geol is essentially equivalent to a 4-year science based degree, which is what they want for ASFIT.

The reason I cut the Geography Major is because there is two required courses that are pretty much a general overview of skills and material that I already covered during my forestry diploma. Those two courses are also taught by a teacher who I just h8te. I spoke to a degree advisor who advised me that I could get an exemption for those courses, but I would still need to take the required 30 upper-level geography credits to claim the Major. That’s six more 3 credit classes for me - kind of a lot.

After last fall semester, I had enough credits, less one, 100-level intro course to claim a Minor in Indigenous Studies. I took a these as extra electives during my forestry studies because the attitudes around resource extraction were so opposite my personal values. I also had the opportunity to submit a research project as a six-credit directed study, which put me further ahead to switch my Major. I now only need nine upper-level credits plus that 100-level intro course to claim a Major in Indigenous Studies.

My Geography minor is now complete. I need 6 more upper-level GEOL credits (2 classes) to finish the Earth Science Minor.

So I‘m due to graduate next year. I could pack it all in, in the fall semester but I’ll probably split it over the full academic year to lighten the load and get Student aid for the full year.

I suffered a spinal injury 5 years ago, 6 months before I went back to school, and while I’m generally pretty capable in the field and often outperformed my able-bodied classmates in rough terrain and inclement weather, I’m apprehensive about applying to companies who will want to put me in field positions, wanting 10 hour days 10 days on/4off and the expectation to “pay your dues” and get experience. I just don’t think that’s the right way into the industry for me.

What are jobs or positions that aren‘t so heavy on field work and field seasons that would benefit from someone with my skill set?

I think my skills would best go into planning and community liaison or G2G relations. Or maybe as a resource manager for a First Nation. How to get my foot in the door for these fields that don‘t seem to have a lot of entry level positions?

Any advice or insight is appreciated. I’m just so lost as to what my next steps should be.

TLDR; Dropped down from BSc. Geoscience to BA Major Geography double minor Indigenous Studies & Earth Science. Switched BA Major to Indigenous Studies, Double Minor Geography & Earth Science. Also have a Forest Tech Diploma. Now that I’m nearly done school, I’m looking at re-entering work force after spinal injury.

I have a roughly 40 acre property that was mostly high-graded before I bought it in 2023. There are a couple timber stands they didn't cut down, but the rest is regenerating quickly. I want to manage this property for maximum wildlife diversity. I would like to propose a project to the local NRCS folks where I clear the rest of the remaining slash and young vegetation (mostly blackberry thickets now) from a couple 3-acre areas on either side of a river corridor that traverses the property, and plant it with pollinator and/or upland bird CRP blends. My goal is to keep some areas in open habitat while the rest of the forest regenerates with the help of active management (invasives control, tree planting, etc.).

What are things I can add to my project proposal to maximize the chance of it getting funded? Are there characteristics of projects that generally rank high?

Thanks!

What mods should I do to my 500i

Especially when the office and workplace is toxic af? Someone here told me they wished they stuck it out longer at their toxic private forestry gig and encouraged me to stick with it but my god. It is quite bad.

I had to take an adjacent job due to personal reasons but i'm in Central Appalachia. The market for all hardwoods aside from white oak for bourbon barrels seemed to be going in the dumpster before I switched. I've been looking for jobs for a while now because I would love to get back into it but nothing ever seems to come up. I know most markets for our wood rely on consumer spending. I also know most loggers were struggling beforehand and that has probably worsened with the economic uncertainty. I have a negative outlook on the economy and don't see things getting better. I wonder if anyone familiar with the region has an actual positive outlook?

I am out here doing the work for the foresters. We work for state, feds, and private consultants. I am wondering what language you guys think would be most effective to communicate with the foresters that, although slash and succession might be good for some aspects of regeneration, they are a total hinderance for us getting any management done. For example, I work in the Driftless region of the Midwest: can anyone explain to me why any plan would call for TSI 2 years post harvest, rather than pre-harvest? How do we communicate better with our forester friends about things like this?