COOLSPRING TOWNSHIP

Forests could be in future for 4H-ers

Susan Micky is just 11 years old, but she knows she wants to work with wildlife and forestry when she grows up.

Susan was one of about 20 Mercer County 4-H Club members who spent a muggy and hot afternoon learning more about the forestry profession from the experts.

The Trees and Trails club had a mini-camp Thursday that took members on a tour of the Mercer County Farm Education Woodlot in Coolspring Township. The kids learned forestry skills from Department of Conservation of Natural Resources Foresters Mark Bodamer and Cecile Stelter.

Local foresters also came to camp, eager to instill the value of forestry to the members, who ranged from 8 to 17 years old.

Coolspring Township Tree Farmer Jim Hissom pointed to the rubber-boot clad kids and said foresters are depending on them to maintain Pennsylvania’s trees.

"These are the ones we like to get. They’re like sponges," Hissom said. "They’re the ones that’ll be managing the tree farms of the future."

Mercer County Conservation District workers Jill Shankel and Bob McDonald took the kids through the Riparien Buffer Zone at Munnell Run Farm, which the district manages for the county.

The Riparien Buffer Zone is the area surrounding the stream going through the farm, making it a wetland.

Ms. Shankel pointed out the vegetation, which towered over the kids in some areas, on the side of the farm near the stream. The other side of the farm was a barren field.

After slogging along a trail through the wetlands the kids moved on to tour a woodlot area.

Bodamer and Ms. Stelter led the kids through forestry identification and tree measuring techniques.

Bodamer said forestry is an essential profession, with wood products being the fourth largest industry in the state.

"This is a profession and it’s the profession of growing vegetation, predominately trees," said Bodamer, adding trees are the dominate force in forestry ecosystems.

He told the club members that humans depend on forests for oxygen, a cooling effect, a food resource, wildlife habitat, recreation, industry and erosion reduction.

Ms. Stelter explained that some trees depend on squirrels and blue jays to spread seeds around the forest.

She said blue jays can carry up to 10 acorns, which they drop as they fly through the forest.

"Man, that would be one heavy bird!," one member shouted.