Forestry Tour Descriptions

Typical Full Day Itinerary

Scheduled stops could include:

A Forest Nursery, where young seedlings are grown for planting on harvest sites of the region.  We discuss where the tree seed comes from, how diversity is maintained in the planted forest, and what production techniques the nursery uses to grow successful forests. 

A harvesting site, with active logging equipment working to deliver timber to local mills, and eventually to the world.  This can be an exciting stop, with large machinery working in close proximity to the tour participants.  We usually have an opportunity to meet with individual loggers, and discuss their working life.

Lunch is provided, at a small lake or rest stop along the tour route.  There is always a chance to view wildlife along the trip, but a certain amount of good fortune is needed!

An overview of the working forest is found at a local mountain top.  The discussion includes how our forests are planned, which areas are preserved from harvesting, and who has input into these decisions.

A visit is made to the native forest, still so common in our area.  Unharvested by man, these forests are just as nature created them.  We look at the native plants, excavate some bark beetles, and enjoy the cool temperatures.

A stop to visit a tree planting crew includes lunch at their campsite.  Everyone comes away with the understanding that these university students really do earn their pay while reforesting.

We then visit an older plantation, either naturally regenerated or planted, to contrast that site with the native forests.  Wildlife sign is everywhere, and the younger trees grow vigorously.

At the conclusion of the tour, a general survey is distributed to tour participants, and their responses catalogued to identify opportunities for improvement.   

Typical Half Day Itinerary

A typical Half Day Itinerary would include 2 or 3 of the stops above.  An effort is made to minimize the travel time required, but due to the changing conditions of specific sites, travel is a part of the tour. 

Other stops could include:

Mountain pine beetle is having a devastating impact on our forests. This stop will examine in detail the life cycle of the insect, describe where it came from, and how it spreads through the pine forests of the central interior. You will also have a chance to excavate a living beetle from under the bark of a tree.

Excavating a soil pit and classifying the vegetation, soils, and climate to determine the biogeoclimatic site, and discuss the implications of the classification, and some of the typical management strategies used in commercial forestry operations to optimize production from the site.

The exact location of each trip varies significantly, as the intent is to visit sites with active forestry operations.  This changes throughout the seasons, and so a constant updating of the stop sites is necessary.

Your tour guide maintains an active list of more than 30 potential tour sites, with new sites and topics added or revised as needed, in response to road conditions, fire weather, moving harvest locations, or the needs of clients.

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