The Very First Blog

June 10, 2019 3:13 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Welcome to my first ever blog, Green Dream or otherwise!  I am very excited to have this opportunity to share my summer experiences in the forestry industry.  For this first blog I am going to give you a bit of background on myself, share some of my experiences so far, and give a bit of a preview of the blogs to come.  

I am an 18 year old student fresh out of her first year of University.  I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Conservation Sciences as well as a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.  

This is the first job that I’ve had in the forestry industry, and I definitely have a lot to learn… With each week so far, my interest in forestry has continued to grow as well as my appreciation for its complexities.

My position as a Planning/Silviculture Assistant at Mercer Peace River, is located about half an hour outside of my hometown of Peace River, a small town located in northern Alberta.  I grew up on a farm and surrounded by nature, which has always been my passion. Of all my phases and past ambitions (“I want to be a [doctor, veterinarian, professional basketball coach, etc.]”) my passion for the environment is one that has never faltered.  

My goal is to be able to become a strong proponent of environmental education, and work towards environmental responsibility by pushing for conservation and sustainable systems in agriculture and other industries.  I’m extremely fortunate to have a summer job that is such a great starting point for my career.

Since I’ve joined Mercer I’ve spent a lot of my time training.  Everything from Bear Awareness, to First Aid to online work and courses such as ATV training (postponed due to wildfire risk) that are still to come.  I’ve also led Boreal forest field trips with local schools, gone on my own field trips, seen incredible wildlife, and helped with reports and paperwork around the office. It seems like even in my months off school I cannot escape EXCEL… I know that there is still so much left to come this summer and I’m looking forward to sharing those experiences.  

I also want to give any readers whose attention I’ve managed to hold, a preview of some of the blog topics that may be coming up as the summer goes on. I am planning to tell you all about my experiences at work, as well as share what I’ve learned about topics such as:

  • Making a herbarium (plant drying and plant ID)  
  • My first helicopter ride
  • The Leddy Lake Interpretive Trail field trip with local students (my first chance at environmental education)
  • Wildlife/wildlife tracking
  • Tree planting and tree improvement
  • EMEND – Ecosystem Based Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (and my own tour)
  • A small history of Peace River and the forestry industry’s importance to the town
  • And more!

So stay tuned to see what the next blog will bring.

Below you can find pictures of one of the many (over 15) bear sightings I’ve had since I started, an old spruce forest that was part of the EMEND tour, and my first trip to a tree nursery!  I am dying to share more about the other wildlife I’ve seen these past few weeks, but that’s a whole other post… Thanks for reading!

-Arianna

 

Leave your thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *