Classroom-based learning and experiential field sessions are just two ways to prepare for a career in forestry; on-the-ground internships are also important for practicing skills in a real work environment and forming valuable professional connections.
Last summer, Maria Suarez (BS Forest and Natural Resource Management (FNRM), ‘25) completed a paid internship with Northwest Management Inc, a private company that provides a variety of forestry services, in order to fulfill the final credits needed to complete her degree. It's an opportunity she learned about at the 2024 Society of American Foresters (SAF) National Convention’s career fair.
Here, she describes the work she did over the summer, her biggest takeaways from the experience, and career advice for undergraduates also studying forestry.
The following text is in her words.
Northwest Management, Inc. contracts out field crew workers like myself to gather data and cruise timber for private landowners, Tribal Nations, and government agencies. I spent the majority of my internship working on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon, where we ground truthed plots for LiDAR data, cruised timber, and conducted fire fuel surveys.
At right is a photo of me finishing up a fire fuels survey while trying to ward off mosquitoes. To my right, just out of view, is a GPS point tracker, which had to record our location for 15 minutes at each plot. Coming from Minnesota, I’ve had my fair share of mosquito attacks, so I went out west assuming I’d escape them. It turns out that as long as there’s standing water, it doesn’t matter what state you’re in, the mosquitoes will find you.
Learning the species here was a big adjustment. It’s one thing to learn about western species in a classroom, or to see the examples we have on campus. It’s a completely different ball game when you have to learn the species in the field when you can’t accurately see the foliage from the forest floor. Learning the difference between noble, grand, subalpine, and silver fir was a challenge especially when they're all on the same plot.
At left is a photo of me pointing out where our next plot is located. This was a really long and strenuous hike. When we saw that our plot would be a no tally, that felt really discouraging. However, no data is still good data, and we still hiked the rest of the way to gather the GPS point and complete the survey.
At right is a photo of my cruising partner holding up the ponder so I can shoot an accurate height of the maple he is standing under. We sometimes had to get creative on plot to make sure we gathered as accurate data as possible. This also shows how brushy it can be in the forest, even out west to my disbelief.
I also got to do “data alignment,” where we took the scans from the LiDAR and overlaid it with the data we gathered in the field. It was a great full-circle moment to see what all our work was going towards. It also made me a better timber cruiser because now I can more accurately gauge what the LiDAR can and can’t “see” as well as see how important it is to get accurate measurements in the field.
The summer was far from easy. I collected numerous stings, bites, and bruises to show for it. But it also taught me resilience and responsibility. I learned the value of good data collection and what it means to be a forester working for a private company. It also was a unique experience to see how vast and varied the landscape is out west and on the Warm Springs Reservation itself.
I believe my time spent in different forest types, gaining real exposure to diverse species and management strategies, will make me a better forester. More than anything, this experience taught me to say yes to challenges and to seek out a diverse work background.
Current forestry students, remember to cherish new experiences and keep them cataloged in your mind so you might draw on them in another position one day.