When the Northeast Silviculture Institute for Foresters kicked off its tour of two-day workshops in May 2017, it had been nearly 15 years since I had any formal coursework in silviculture. I’d recently made a career move back to field-forestry and joined a team of colleagues managing a complex patchwork of lands in the Catskills – arguably the most high-profile public watershed in the United States. Knowing full well that new research and concepts had emerged since I’d graduated from forestry college, I was also looking for a more holistic approach to planning for the individual decisions I’d be making with a paint-gun in my hand. The primary attraction of the Silviculture Institute’s program was providing instruction in a small setting and training from other practitioners working in similar forest types under similar constraints.
Unlike other workshops and field tours more specialized to one topic, the structure of the Silviculture Institute puts it all into perspective, synthesizing the information in one place much better than any “Silviculture for Dummies” how-to book might do. (Even if such a manual existed, I don’t suspect I’d read it.) I attended three of the five sessions offered by the Silviculture Institute and with the training now available online, I have gone back several times to the videos for refreshers. I compiled the required reading materials, all available for free download, into three-ring binders with all my notes from the sessions, and these will continue to be a go-to desk reference. I also encouraged the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to purchase online access to all the videos for the rest of our foresters. We have all appreciated watching the content in full blocks or piecemeal from our home offices while working through the current pandemic.
I have always felt that if you come away with a few nuggets of wisdom and some connections with other professionals, then a well-organized workshop is well worth the time and investment. The Silviculture Institute certainly did that for me. First and foremost, it recognizes that the natural forest types that have developed here in the Northeast do not broadly exist in other parts of the United States. The region needs its own course of study akin to other silviculture practicums designed for working foresters.
“Site matters” was a phrase I often heard repeated during the workshops; it continues to ring in my ears as I implement a prescription in the woods. I look closer now than I had before at canopy gaps that have occurred – whether by natural disturbance or previous cutting – to give me clues as to what I can expect after treatment and how to adapt. Group exercises to develop prescriptions based on what we were learning in the lectures were also particularly helpful. My only wish going forward would be that a “community of practice” could evolve out of the session attendees. We could share what we’re up to and how we’re thinking through some of the current issues with invasives, climate-related stress, and other challenges. I am looking forward to something one of the organizers recently told me about a new virtual “silviculture library” currently in development.
Before attending the Silviculture Institute, I’d justified my participation to my agency and the organizers accepting my application by stating that I felt my level of understanding and practice of silviculture had – due to the path I followed early in my career – remained at a technician level. But with this new knowledge and more practicing of the principles taught through the Silviculture Institute, I have honed my skill set and will continue to apply the concepts and to learn from the results on the ground for the rest of my career. Now I will always have my manuals close at hand and a fellowship of attendees to reach out to when I find myself scratching my head in confusion. After all, we are practicing silviculture, not mastering it.