News
Highway Clean-Up - May 8th, 2013
SAF members volunteer each semester to clean the roadside on a section of Cty Hy HH west of Stevens Point. This is one way members can give back the community. By cleaning the roadsides, not only are members performing a valuable benefit for the environment, as well as promoting the Chapter within the city.
Menominee Reservation Tour - April 20th, 2012
SAF members headed out to the Menominee Tribal Forest on April 20th to learn the history of the Menominee Tribe and their forestry practices. Paul Crocker, a GIS Inventory Forester, began the tour with a brief history of how the Menominee Tribe managed to acquire their land as well as how they work to manage their forest in a sustainable way. We visited several locations on the reservation, each providing an example of the various stages of forest management. Our first stop was at a Continuing Forest Inventory site. Next we visited a managed stand of white pine where Paul was able to detail the practices used by the Tribe to regenerate specific species. Paul also demonstrated the effects of White Pine Weevil on tree growth, showing us several examples of trees afflicted by the insect. We continued to a plot where Aspen had once overpopulated the land. Foresters had chosen to clear-cut the stand, keeping several trees to provide seeds for future trees. After the land had been harvested, fire was used to further clear the land. We then stopped for lunch at Smokey Falls, taking a brief moment to enjoy the waterfalls. Our final stop was at a stand of White Pine and Hemlock trees that had been left untouched by harvesting over the years. Several trees were measured by SAF members, some of which exceeded 40” in diameter. At the conclusion of the tour, we thanked Paul for the opportunity to visit the reservation and look forward to another tour in the future.
-Erik Desotelle
Envirothon - March 11th, 2012
The UWSP student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) welcomed high school students from Middleton High on a Sunday afternoon for basic forestry training. The students are participating in Wisconsin’s ultimate high school environmental science challenge taking place at Central Wisconsin Environmental Station (CWES) on April 20, 2012. The top school from that competition will be invited to the national competition in Pennsylvania. Middleton High took 8th place at last year’s national competition. While visiting the campus the students received theoretical and practical application on the subjects of tree physiology, forest ecology, sustainable forest management, and trees as an important renewable resource. The day of workshops started with tree physiology, where students learned the basics of dendrology and applied them outside identifying trees around the campus. Moving back inside for a lecture on forest ecology, the students were given increment cores of trees to examine the abiotic and biotic factors affecting trees. After lunch, students received a lecture on sustainable forest management and forest measurements. That was followed by actual data collection of trees using cruising sticks, clinometers, and diameter tapes to obtain height and diameter of trees around the campus. The day was concluded with a lecture on trees as an important renewable resource, where students learned about the economic and aesthetic value about trees in both the urban and rural forest. The day was a huge success for the chapter and the students from Middleton High. Members of the chapter were able to showcase their knowledge of forestry they acquired while studying at UWSP. The students were impressed with the knowledge of forestry the members had, especially the ability to identify trees. One student even canceled his piano lesson, so the group could stay longer to identify more trees before they left. The members of UWSP SAF would like to thank and wish the students from Middleton High the best of luck in their future competitions.
-Einar Fransen
USC to UWSP Student Exchange Environmental Trip 9 March 2012 to 12 March 2012
Exchange students from the University of Southern California (USC) came to the University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point (UWSP) to learn about the environment and environmental problems that are present in Wisconsin. This select group of students from USC and UWSP stayed at the Central Wisconsin Environmental station and volunteered time at Schmeeckle to control flooding of the paths as well as learned about the sustainable campus here at Steven’s Point. The student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) along with the Society of Arboriculture (SSA) organized a special treat for the students from USC; The USC students were shown how to properly climb trees, the reason to climb trees for maintenance, and were given the opportunity to climb two trees outside the College of Natural Resources. All of the students from USC were extremely pleased to have been given this glance into the life of a professional forester. The participants of this student exchange learned from each other’s specific knowledge and gained a unique insight into a different region of the United States. Hopefully, the time spent with SAF and SSA will have impacted the students from USC and shown them a different way of life that manages the world’s natural resources.
-Andrew Weston
Forestry Field Day - February 25th, 2012
On a cold Saturday morning, SAF members gathered at the Schmeeckle Reserve Pavilion for our first Forestry Field Day. Bob Crane of Woodland Management Service, a professional consulting forester, gave members a brief demonstration of how to use various forestry tools and how to conduct a forest inventory. Following the presentation, members then headed out into the forest to practice their inventorying skills. Regardless of skill level, every participant was able to test their abilities and learn new practices. This event was filled with learning forestry techniques that will help everyone in the future. We look forward to hosting another Forestry Field Day soon!
-Erik Desotelle