My Time at Merck Forest

by Tyler Hughes, Technical Recreation Coordinator

This summer at Merck Forest was a huge learning experience for me, and I feel that I have grown in many ways. First and foremost, I learned many technical skills that will translate well to a resume as well as help me further in my career. Some of these technical skills include, but are not limited to, driving and using an excavator, baling hay, and most importantly, timber cruising experience. Timber cruising is the practice of measuring trees in an area of land in order to learn about the composition of the forest. Some of the information that is gathered includes species height, diameter. Other metrics included the machinability of the tree as well as the understory regeneration. This work and experience is critical to any aspiring forester because these measurements and corresponding calculations form the backbone of the work they do in land management. This summer I also learned a lot about myself as a person. One of the most important things that I learned is that I work very well independently. I also learned how to best manage my time and how to evaluate which projects were most important.