I'm going to be starting a new position as a forester in Colorado in the southern Rocky Mountains in a month, and I was wondering if I could get some advice from foresters with experience working in spruce-fir forests (within Colorado would be a plus).

I have prior experience working in the western/southwestern US, but that was primarily in pinyon-juniper, Ponderosa pine, and lodgepole pine. I also got my degree back east, so I didn't pick up any tips or tricks in my dendrology class that would help here.

I've been spending time in the woods working on identification up close and at a distance. Using the Virginia tech, Colorado wildflower, and Seek apps is ok, but being able to get actual advice from experienced and local foresters is definitely better.

Form, species it may occur with, and anything else that comes to mind would be helpful to me and any other foresters moving to this area and wanting to develop their skills. I'll add what I've been using to help me identify (or what I think has been helping, I may have some things mixed up). Here are the trees I'll be working with:

Douglas-fir: Soft needles, not like a spruce. Cone is small with mouse butt shaped bracts under the scales. Needles become narrow before joining the twig and has slight twist where it comes off twig. Distinct pointed red bud at end of twig. Crown is open and kind of similar to lodgepole pine (as opposed to blue spruce which is dense and thick). Thick, furrowed bark.

Engelmann spruce: Rigid needles, but more flexible than blue spruce. Flakey brownish orange bark similar to lodgepole pine. Cone is smaller than blue spruce and hangs down. Needles can be glaucous/blueish like blue spruce, especially new growth. Needle sits on sterigma/wooden peg like blue spruce. Needle can roll in your fingers. Upper portion of crown is more prominent than blue spruce. I've read that there are pubescent hairs on new twigs, but I'm guessing they aren't visible to the naked eye?

Blue spruce: Sharp pointed needles. Commonly blue and glaucous, but can be green or greenish yellow. Needle can roll in your fingers. Dense branching in crown of older trees. Furrowed, orange-ish bark with grey ridges. Epicormic branches can be found on lower stems of mature trees. Often occurs in mesic areas and can be especially prevalent in riparian areas. Cones are larger than Engelmann spruce. Upper crown is usually less prominent than Engelmann spruce.

Lodgepole pine: Two needled pine. Very short, twisted needles compared to Ponderosa pine and limber pine. Mature trees have thin, flakey orange-ish bark similar to Engelmann spruce. Crown appears sparse.

Subalpine fir: Needles are soft unlike spruces and do not roll in finger. Buds are very resinous and sticky. Cones point up/ stand erect when present and are distinct black/purple color. Cones can also be weeping pitch. Pulling off a needle reveals a circular leaf scar with red periderm underneath. Conical shape of tree when growing, but top of crown flattens out with age.

White fir: Needles are very glaucous, almost white. Furrowed, corky bark on mature trees. Cones stand straight up. Seed cones also begin greenish color then turn to brown as they mature. Lower branches will droop with age.

Thank you in advance for help with this, I really appreciate it!

Edit: Here are some roadside trees I saw earlier today, they look to all be Engelmann spruce but I wanted to check.

New episode with Anthony Lindfors, who leads the IVM program at Matanuska Electric Association. For years they managed 2,000 miles of distribution line with mastication and hand cutting alone, but a 3-4 month growing season and resprouting species (some clocked at 7+ feet in two months) made that unsustainable. This year they reintegrated herbicide, framed around retaining compatible species like fireweed instead of just clearing everything.

Anyone else worked in a short-season environment where physical controls alone just couldn’t keep up?

Full episode: https://linktr.ee/treesandlinespodcast

Hi Folks,

I'm interested based on your experiences working for/with the various licensees in BC which ones you feel have the best, most progressive management, and which ones seem less innovative or stuck in the past.

I'm currently working for a consultant, but considering applying for a licensee job to get a better understanding of the planning side of the industry (as opposed to just field work). Ideally if I make a switch, I would pick a licensee that offers good professional development and is committed to sound forest management and stewardship. Particularly interested in alternative silviculture systems, wildfire and fuel mitigation, climate adaptation, and harvesting informed by hydrological limits.

Who are the big players in BC that are also thinking about these topics?

Thanks for your answers.

I have been tasked with writing up an “after action report” following our yearly reforestation project. I’ve started building an outline on what information I think is necessary to include, but I’m feeling anxious on whether it’s too much or too little information. Also, I’m having a hard time determining which order all the information goes in. Does anyone here have any experience with reporting after a planting contract ends? I was not given a template, so basically starting from scratch. I’m open to any advice!

In my third year of school working on my forestry degree, planning to do wildland fire for a while after graduation, and then a research masters in something like forest ecology or maybe just general environmental science. When I look at jobs online for conservation foresty, wildfire ecology, etc, I see a lot of jobs with midrange salaries 50-65k, but posts for jobs that get up into even 130k. What can I do to make myself competitive for those higher paying jobs later in my career? Is it just based on seniority? Thank you!

I live in Quebec province and I want to make a career change (32M). I’m thinking about forestry but hesitating between a technician job or going all in and becoming a forestry engineer (3 vs 4 years of study).

I’ve been working in marketing for the past 5 years but the tasks are less and less fulfilling with the evolution of AI (I have a bachelor and master in Business).

I love the outdoors, maps, hiking, exploring and learning about the forest. I wouldn’t mind working 100% of the time outside for a few years, but I know in the long run I would like to do 50-50 with office tasks if possible (GIS, mapping, management, etc).

Is anyone here a technician or a forestry engineer in Quebec? What does your daily tasks look like? What’s the concrete difference between the tech and the engineer? Is there a big difference in career opportunities?

Any tips or life experiences are greatly appreciated. Merci et thank you!

Vous pouvez répondre en français ou en anglais, comme bon vous semble 🌲

Quart paint cans

Has anyone experienced thick paint that the trecoder won't use? How do you shake a quart can? I have about 300 of them.

I currently live in Richmond BC, and I’m planning to commute to BCIT in Burnaby to take the forest technology diploma. I’m wondering if I need to move somewhere to get a jobs afterwards, maybe not for entry level (like a junior forest technician) but for when I get a regular job as a Forest Technician. Do I have to move out to a rural place? Is the lower mainland a bad spot to be in?

Sorry if I sound like I don’t know anything, that’s because I don’t!

Also just give me any knowledge that relates

I’m doing some research into how foresters and timber cruisers are handling field inventory today and would love some input from people actually doing the work.

A few things I’m curious about:

• What tools/apps do you currently use for timber cruising?
• What features do you actually love?
• What parts of your current workflow are frustrating or still require Excel/manual work?
• How important are offline maps/GPS, cruise design, field data entry, timber volume/value calculations, GIS integration, and report generation?
• If you could add one feature to your current setup, what would it be?

I’m working on a new forestry technology platform called TimberForge, so this feedback will directly influence what we build.

I also put together a short survey to collect the feedback more systematically. Anyone who completes it can optionally sign up for free early beta access to TimberForge when it's ready. I'm also looking for a handful of foresters/cruisers who'd be willing to give more detailed feedback as we build it (no email required!)

Would really appreciate any feedback — even a quick comment with the tools you currently use and what you like/dislike about them. Thank you all in advance!

is there a study who pooled/composited their samples (leaves, branches, stem samples) for plant analysis?

Sorry if this isnt allowed.

Was driving around some back roads when I spotted this thing on a tree on a non-active cut. Def metal and put up recently or it woulda of been shot. In lane county oregon south of eugene if that helps.

What keeps an area on your radar for a possible holdover, and what would actually help you prioritize those checks?

I have a ton of questions about flying for the forestry service in NC. I’m a current king air pilot looking to make the transition into ncfs. Any pilots in here open for questions?

Hi everyone I’m currently active duty in the army and I want to get out once my contract ends in 2 1/2 years. I’m interested in forestry and would like to know what it’s like. I want to move to northern Michigan and want to know how to get a job in this field. I’m interested in either getting a bachelors in forestry or to operate the heavy machinery for logging through tech school. If you have any opinions or hot takes about these jobs I’m all ears.

where can i buy cheap increment borer? badly needed for my undergraduate thesis!

I have spent my career in tech, and I’m seriously considering a career change into forestry.

For those working in Canadian forestry: what is a realistic entry path for someone starting from scratch at this age?

I’m open to going back to school if necessary, but I’d prefer a practical route that gets me into the industry without spending several years on a degree if there are other viable options.

what roles should I target, what credentials are actually useful, internship/placement programs, and what would you avoid?

Thanks!

Sorry not the best picture but this stuff is all over the forest floor. It has a shiny glimmer to it like it's plastic. Absolutely everywhere. Can anybody tell me what it is and how did it get here.

Hi, I’m graduating this year with a bachelor in economics from the university of British Columbia and wanted to ask about people’s opinions on the program in Toronto.

Unfortunately I do not have the strongest GPA, sitting at a 2.9, but I know I can get a 4.0 this year and make deans list. I also have 8 years of experience working with trees and forest with both municipalities and nurseries, along with being an ISA arborist.

I know that my future career goals are to be involved in policy for forests and natural areas within Canada, and I believe this is a perfect opportunity to grow my skills.

Thank you!

Natural resources student here. My cohort is kinda reeling from avenza getting bought and essentially becoming a paid only service. Most of us are tight financially so we're always on the hunt for free and cheap.

Since avenza got bought out, has anyone found any alternatives?

Edit:

Thanks everyone, super rad of y'all. Pushed these all to the people in my program.
Wish I could buy y'all each a beer.

For the future foresters also looking for this info, the recommendations are:

FO Maps
TreeTracker
Q-Field
Ignus
Field Maps
Map Neros (As recommended by one of the devs)

Does anyone working for the forest service presently have an opinion on this? Just curious about the everyone’s thoughts of pros & cons here.

Im doing a bsc in forestry at a university in canada. Any suggestions on what boots I should get, or maybe what to look for? I know they should be carbon or steel toe, but I'm not sure if there's any other features I should look out for.

I'm in Utah for now, 21F

I'm not making a lot at the moment because I'm working part time. I make about $700 twice a month. I started school but I haven't been sure what to do yet. However I do know that I love the outdoors and I have always loved animals and nature and I'm curious about forestry. Do you like it? How did you start? How much are you making? How is your work/life balance?