This last week for the Starker Forest summer crew has been all about stocking surveys. Following being fully trained last week by Stephen and Fred, we were set free in pairs this week and began knocking out the remaining 4-year stocking surveys and moved on to 2-years.
Partway through the week, we switched gears for one day and worked more on cleaning roads in the Soap Creek tree farm from ice damage. While we were in the area, we also worked to clean up a neighbors horse field that had a very large fir tree fall into it from Starker ground. After many hours of work, the tree was all cut up into firewood for the landowner to use and all the debris piled.
Following a full week of work, all six of us interns ended up going to the Philomath Frolic &Rodeo. Griffin, Jonathan and I got the unique opportunity to compete in the wild steer race representing Starker Forests. It was a crazy event, having all three of us hold onto the rope and drag the steer around the race (and also be drug around by the steer). Unfortunately, we did not win, however, we did get second place and have a blast doing so. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OVyU83btxKfgbB0wCI65P8mNFBmWtI8i/view
This next week is looking like some more stocking surveys to begin and then switching over to learning timber cruising!
– Andrew Prom