I am sure that a look of panic fell over my face, followed by question marks in the center of my eyes. Hmmm I had never given that a thought, why would I?

Just around this time last year Tom took me into the woods to walk a prospective harvest job. As we walked he would point out trees and ask me to name them. Just like any other average person, my eyes followed up the length of the trunk to the crown of the tree, squinting into the sun; I would name the tree from looking at the leaves. Of course I only knew the most common trees like maple, oak, pine. In his short and candid way Tom asked how did I plan on identifying these trees in the dead of winter when the leaves had fallen and were covered in snow?

I am sure that a look of panic fell over my face, followed by question marks in the center of my eyes. Hmmm I had never given that a thought, why would I?

As I look back, I realize that I have learned a lot in just one year. I now know how to look at the whole tree in order to identify it. I also know how to identify far more trees than I ever dreamed of. All the data that we gather in the field goes into a harvest plan.

A harvest plan tells the story of the land for the landowner. We report on the terrain, the soils, the stocking levels, the different species, any previous activities etc.

A couple of months into my job, Tom asked me to try to create the plans on my own, and turn them into him to correct and comment on. Then I would have the chance to correct my mistakes, resubmit and hope for the best. Usually what happens is we meet with the landowner, give them a brief overview of what they can expect from a responsible harvest, and then they give us the go ahead to walk the property and create a plan. My job is to create the parts of the plan, which are basically gathering data. After we walk the land, and Tom reviews the data, he will create a recommendation that will best suit the landowner’s objectives, honor the environment and add to their investment by enhancing the health of the woods. The part of the plan that the landowner likes the best is the total stumpage estimate they can hope to see from the harvest. This amount is always in the thousands of dollars, and they are usually surprised to see the money they will gain, and all just from improving the health of their forest.

Up until this last plan I just finished, our results have really been a joint effort, with me struggling to get every aspect correct. Each time I would turn my preliminary plan, Tom would drop it back on my desk with all these notes and corrections. My heart would sink for I was really striving to outdo myself each time. Well since I didn't give up, I feel like the "Little Engine that Could" and I did! So I am having a Harvest Plan Celebration!

In a world where everything comes so fast, we often get impatient when some good strong learning takes a little longer than we expected. There is no greater reward than the intrinsic reward of good old-fashioned accomplishment!

I'll tell you, I am one happy wood wench!

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