College aged student, two years into a philosophy degree. My initial plan was to go to law school after my bachelors and becoming a lawyer, after job shadowing however and taking a few law classes as electives I realize I hate that field and do not want to work in it. Funnily enough, I do love philosophy but I realize that the kind of jobs that I would work as a philosophy grad are office ones which I do not mind but it is certainly not how I want my life to pan out. I'm not really one who enjoys the money, I live cheaply sustaining myself with rice and beans and reading books and it is enough. So going to a business school and sacrificing my life as an analyst to get rich also doesn't really appeal to me anymore.

Been researching into forestry, will admit been a city slicker all my life but I do love nature and it makes me feel most at peace. The idea of working out in the woods feels nice, mainly just concerned if I swap majors though about

1. Job security

2. The actual work

What I mean by the second point is I don't want an idealized glamorized version of it, I know of the surface level cons such as the bugs, ticks, and other things with being out in the woods. But is there anything else I need to worry about when considering this career?

For reference I live out in Arizona, considering going to NAU after finishing up community college for this. Though I'm really willing to move anywhere, don't really mind was considering being a nomad for a bit actually.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole Norway maple vs. native sugar maple dynamic, and I wanted to throw out a theory cause why not. The standard view is usually that Norway maples are almost invincible because they produce a massive amount of seeds every year, their bitter, milky samaras protect them from being eaten by local wildlife, and they have outstanding shade tolerance, but I’m starting to wonder if this all might actually be a long-term evolutionary trap in the US. My thinking is that because nearly 100% of their samaras avoid getting predated, they all sprout together, forcing the species into a brutal internal civil war with its own siblings rather than actually eliminating competition. Studies show that Norway maples "like" growing under their own canopy as seedlings, outcompeting just about all other species in that deep shade. However, it also, once again, leaves only other Norway seedlings with the same adaptations to compete with. If you look at how they behave in Europe, they are used to being scattered gap-hunters held in check by the deep shade of Norway spruce and beech, so they aren't exactly genetically programmed to have tons of their own species right next to them. It seems like when they form dense, 100% monocultures over here, their aggressive, shallow roots might just end up entangling and dehydrating the topsoil, trapping their own offspring in a stagnant, resource-starved understory mat that eventually causes the whole stand to lock up and decline from its own crowded proximity. On the contrary, the Sugar Maple evolved to be around others of its kind, and it shows. On a Sugar Maple mast year where overcrowding also would happen, the tasty, nutricious, appealing samara population is thinned out by predators enough for a large amount of trees to grow without being choked. In a nutshell, Norway Maples are absolutely devistating to northeastern hardwood forests, but I believe if they were to become especially widely dominant, they'll have a lot of trouble keeping up. Once again, I could be misinterpreting the long-term timeline or missing some key data here, so I’d really appreciate any critiques, alternative perspectives, or even flat-out rebuttles. Thanks for reading my ideas!

I own a ~50 acres and am thinking about participating in NRCS programs. I am wondering if there are any drawbacks to having them come on my property or is it all upside?

I should have said that I am complete novice and would take any background or explanation about what they do. Also, if any of my acres turn out to be wetlands would there be any restrictions placed on the property and if my place has a small pond (less than 1/2 acre) come under any scrutiny because it is man made and has a pretty robust earthen dam that is holding it in place?

The second picture is taken from the East side of the path. The first has less trees and therefore more sun and the weed trees and weeds are out of control. Any suggestions for a chemical free way of controlling the weeds? I've tried dumping piles of leaves and old wood, but it just seems like it decomposes and turns into super fertilizer for the weeds.

(British Columbia-based) I'm in my second year of geological engineering (also a sweet program) and finding out that rocks are not nearly as much my forte as trees. I spent last summer doing consulting (i.e. forest tech) work and genuinely loved every second of it, loved learning everything from ecological to harvesting, and especially loved road design, cut/fill/blasting assessments, etc. My university offers a "Harvest Planning and Engineering" degree, a major of a BSc in Forest Operations, and I love the sound of it. What's sweet is that, if you minor in engineering, you can get your P. Eng. (PE equivalent) as well as your RPF, and I've already taken most of the engineering courses that would be required to get that minor.

I'm at a bit of a critical decision point now, and lots of the people (not necessarily in the industry) have tried to discourage me, saying "forestry is dying", and that the degree I'm currently in will have better job prospects (probably true regardless, but as long as I can get a job, I'm happy). From my (brief) time in the industry, I have to say that there was somewhat of a negative future view, but I also don't agree with everything the media is reporting about the industry right now. Even a senior development forester at the company I worked at told me not to switch because the industry "just feels like it has no hope". I know the situation will probably improve post-Trump, but overall we are in a reduction (a prof in the forestry department said figures along the lines of 15 down to 6 million board feet processing) which inevitably doesn't create the best likelihood of getting a job in the industry. My opinion, though, is that while conventional harvest forestry may not be in a "boom" now (and it is one of those industries), management is only going to grow (especially with the BC wildfire situation), and that will be overseen by RPFs.

I love forestry! I love bush work, I love the ecological aspect of it, and I love the culture. If we were in a "boom", say 20 years ago with the pine bark beetle AAC increase, it would be an absolute no-brainer. What do you guys think? I'm trying not to let what the industry looks like right now decide what my career will look like in it.

Sorry about the big ramble. Thanks for listening!

Sabe quando você vai vender um carro e, antes de aceitar a primeira proposta, dá uma olhada para ver quanto estão pagando por outros parecidos?
Com floresta acontece a mesma coisa.
Só que aqui uma decisão pode representar muito dinheiro.
É natural olhar primeiro para quem está mais perto. A serraria da região, a indústria conhecida, aquele comprador que sempre esteve ali.
Mas fica uma pergunta:
será que esse é realmente o melhor destino?
Porque a mesma floresta pode seguir caminhos completamente diferentes.
Pode virar madeira serrada, celulose, energia, madeira tratada, carvão, briquete, pellet ou biochar.
E aí, meu amigo, a conversa muda.
Um mercado está mais perto. Outro paga melhor. Outro aceita uma especificação diferente. E, em alguns casos, o melhor negócio nem é transportar a madeira como ela está.
É transformar antes.
Por isso eu sempre digo: antes de vender sua floresta, abra o mapa.
Quem pode comprar? A que distância? Para fazer o quê?
São perguntas simples. Mas elas começam a revelar oportunidades que, olhando apenas para dentro da fazenda, passam despercebidas.
Às vezes aparece um comprador que não estava no radar. Em outras, vale alcançar um mercado mais distante. E há casos em que agregar valor perto da floresta muda completamente a conta.
De repente, aquilo que parecia ter um único caminho passa a ter três, quatro, cinco possibilidades.
E uma floresta com opções negocia diferente de uma floresta dependente de um único comprador.
No fim, não estamos falando apenas de vender madeira.
Estamos falando de entender o que você tem nas mãos antes de decidir quanto aquilo vale.
É por isso que, na IGNIS, muitas análises começam de uma forma muito simples:
abrindo o mapa.
IGNIS | Bioenergia & Valor
[+55 73 98196-7539](tel:+55%2073%2098196-7539)
[daniel@ignisbioenergia.com](mailto:daniel@ignisbioenergia.com)
#Florestas #MercadoFlorestal #Biomassa #Bioenergia #EngenhariaFlorestal

Você colocaria água no tanque do seu carro para fazer a gasolina render mais?
Claro que não.
Agora pensa comigo: com biomassa, às vezes a indústria aceita exatamente o contrário.
Chega uma carreta cheia de cavaco. A balança marca 30 toneladas. O preço parece bom. Só que, no meio desse peso, pode estar viajando muita água.
E essa água fez a viagem inteira: foi carregada, transportada, descarregada, movimentada… e chegou à caldeira.
Antes de a madeira entregar energia para gerar calor e vapor, parte dessa energia precisa primeiro aquecer e evaporar a própria umidade.
É aí que a conversa muda.
Muita gente ainda compra biomassa olhando primeiro para o preço por tonelada.
Faz sentido. Mas tonelada mede peso. O que move a fábrica é energia.
Quando a biomassa chega em melhor condição, mais energia fica disponível para o processo, a chama responde melhor e a operação ganha estabilidade.
E aí aparece o paradoxo: você pode precisar de menos biomassa para entregar a mesma energia.
Talvez esteja aí uma grande oportunidade.
Porque melhorar biomassa não começa só na caldeira. Começa na colheita, na organização da madeira, no tempo de secagem, no processamento, no armazenamento, no transporte e no controle da qualidade.
É isso que chamamos de engenharia da cadeia.
Na IGNIS, olhamos o caminho completo, da floresta ao sistema térmico, para encontrar onde a energia está sendo perdida, onde existe custo escondido e onde a operação pode ganhar eficiência.
No fim, o objetivo não é comprar mais toneladas.
É colocar mais energia útil dentro da fábrica.
E, quando toda a cadeia trabalha na mesma direção, fica possível fazer mais energia com menos biomassa.
É esse tipo de melhoria que buscamos transformar em eficiência, economia e resultado industrial.
IGNIS | Bioenergia & Valor
WhatsApp: [+55 73 98196-7539](tel:+55%2073%2098196-7539)
[daniel@ignisbioenergia.com](mailto:daniel@ignisbioenergia.com)
#Biomassa #Bioenergia #EficiênciaEnergética #EnergiaTérmica #GestãoIndustrial

I’m currently a junior in high school. My dream school is Cal Poly Or Russer School of Natural Resources for Forestry.
My junior schedule right now:

dual enrollment psychology c1000

2 other ecology based de classes. ( Looking to get the Certificate of Field Ecology .)

English 11 honors

Integrated 3 mathematics (The standard math level for my grade)

Normal Us history

Ap Spanish 6

French 2

Agricultural Systems Science Honors

My planned senior schedule so far:

Ap bio

Ap Stats

Normal Macroeconomics/Us Gov

French 3

Ap English 12 (English is my worst subject)

Environmental Science (Sadly APES is not offered)

1 Dual Enrollment Ecology Class to contribute to getting the Field Ecology Certificate .
Im also taking another Ecology course along with precalc over the summer before senior year.

I’m just wondering for tips on what to change. Please be brutally honest. Aps to take instead. My extracurricular keep me pretty busy so I don’t want to do anything crazy but if it’s necessary plz tell me. Thanks to anyone that responds I’ll really appreciate it!

I took these photos today while on the Gunstock Mountain trail in Gilford, NH. Is this Beech Bark Disease”?

Sabe quando você lava uma toalha e, para secar rápido, abre bem no varal? Agora imagine fazer o contrário: enrolar a toalha, dobrar várias vezes e esperar que ela seque depressa.
Parece óbvio em casa. Na madeira, muita gente esquece exatamente esse princípio.
A árvore foi cortada e a primeira reação costuma ser: “vamos organizar tudo”. Junta, empilha, deixa bonito, libera a área. Faz sentido operacionalmente. Mas, quando o objetivo é secar madeira para biomassa ou carvão, essa organização precoce pode cobrar uma conta alta depois.
Madeira seca quando troca umidade com o ambiente. Para isso, precisa de sol, circulação de ar e área exposta. Quando fica espalhada logo após o corte, cada peça recebe mais vento e calor. A água começa a sair.
Quando empilhamos cedo demais, fazemos quase o equivalente a colocar um cobertor sobre aquilo que queríamos secar.
E aí vem a diferença: o que poderia avançar em semanas passa para meses. Em determinadas condições, meses podem virar um tempo muito maior.
E madeira úmida não pesa só na balança. Ela pesa no transporte, reduz a energia útil por tonelada, dificulta a carbonização, aumenta o tempo de processo e encarece a cadeia.
Por isso, a lógica é simples: primeiro secar. Depois organizar.
Não significa abandonar madeira no campo. Significa planejar corte, traçamento, disposição, ventilação, tempo de secagem e só então formar as pilhas de estoque.
Esse detalhe separa uma pilha “bonita” de uma pilha energeticamente inteligente.
Em biomassa, muitas vezes o ganho não começa na máquina, no forno ou na caldeira. Começa semanas antes, na forma como a madeira foi deixada no chão.
É esse tipo de detalhe que a engenharia transforma em resultado.
IGNIS | Bioenergia & Valor
WhatsApp: +55 73 98196-7539
daniel@ignisbioenergia.com
#Biomassa #CarvãoVegetal #EnergiaDaMadeira #Bioenergia #EngenhariaFlorestal

Working out a deal on this 1975 Hayes HD 267”. Want to get into logging but all my experience is oilfield. Who’s hiring owner ops in Western Canada with little to no logging experience?

Would this be a suitable replacement for a stihl clearing saw? The stihls are double the price but I only plan on using this for 10 hours a month tops. TIA

Was approached about making a switch from procurement to consulting. I’m leery of this move (SE USA), but I do not think I am cutout for procurement, especially in these challenging times, and it’s really weighing on me. I have never worked on the management side, but am curious to hear opinions.

Deleted & reposted due to spelling error.

North America

Gave this training with the subtitles on today…

New episode of Trees & Lines is live now. Instead of a guest this week, the three hosts talked through current industry stuff, and one argument stood out: trees have a measurable lifespan just like poles and wires, so removal and replacement of hazard or dead trees should be treated as a capital expense instead of getting lumped into OM. A few states (Texas, California, parts of the Northeast) are already moving that direction through regulatory filings.

Curious how people here see this playing out. Does capitalizing that work actually change how utilities prioritize it, or is it mostly an accounting shift?

Full episode: https://linktr.ee/treesandlinespodcast

Where can I look for timber cruisers and forest tenchnicians in the east Texas, west LA area?

I know I can check colleges tech schools for entry level people but where's the best place to look for experienced guys? I'm trying to find what is the best sites/job boards/foresty related places to looks for applicants? I'd love to take on more contracts and bigger jobs but I can't untill I find some extra help.

Any suggestions?

Hi all, looking to purchase a new clearing saw and have noticed Husqvarna clearing saws are half the price of the stihls. It would be used a couple days a month at most so wondering if Husqvarna would be the better option? Most my gear is stihl or EGO powers commercial line but for a tool I wont use as frequently i dont want to spend £1k+ if i can avoid it. TIA

I have been in the logging industry for just about a year. And the other day I have come real close to dying. A coworker cut down a tree that was hanging in a different one and it turned 90° and fell right towards me, I was able to get away right before the tree landed where I was staying (I know I should have stood further away). But anyways to the question, are situations like that common in the industry? And does every logger face something like that eventually?

Does anyone have a clear picture of the bulkhead/firewall area between the cooling package and engine on the rightside of the machine? I'm trying to understand how lines are routed through this area.

I am 23F and basically have nothing really going for me in life. I went to a four year university but dropped out and now I’m struggling to know what is next.

I’ve done quite a few jobs in groundskeeping, irrigation, and gardening but these jobs don’t seem to be something I could make good money from to start my life.

I was looking into conservation work or forestry but everything I’ve seen on the Cal state website requires some sort of degree or experience. Is there anyway to get into this type of work with no experience and no degree?

I just want to work in the environment and make a difference while also being able to support myself. Any steps or insight would be greatly appreciated as I’m a bit lost.

TIA!