Job experience counts
Many people outside forestry gaze only at the surface of this profession, never realizing its depth and complexity. A small group at the University of New Brunswick is admitted into the inner circle, however, to take part in the life of a forestry student. We have a chance to see the variety of opportunities available to foresters, and seize these opportunities if we so choose. The sheets of paper that litter forestry job board offer us chances to travel this vast country and see some of its most incredible places. Like most pursuits, however, forestry allows only that you reap what you sew. For those who work hard and take the initiative, however, the rewards are unforgettable experiences. By the bitter end of winter, many such adventurous forestry students are anxious to see what this summer’s employment will bring. All of us share this appreciation for the summer, regardless of our diverse experience. Only stories about last year’s exploits shared in the student lounge remind us of warm days and freedom.
One man who has known the life of a forestry student longer than most is Colby MacDonald. Initially uncertain of his path, he spent two years in forest engineering before transferring to the forestry program. A vital part of the champion UNB Woodsmen’s team, Colby walks these halls with confidence and alertness. The skills that brought him success in competition have served him well during years of wildfire fighting. For 5 years, Colby has worked in both Alberta and British Columbia under the fire protection divisions of their respective governments. “It’s the people you work with that make the job” says MacDonald “It feels like being paid to be on a sports team”. Having distinguished himself as helicopter-borne firefighter and crew leader in Alberta, he was asked to join the ranks of BC’s smoke jumpers in 2007. “There’s nothing like taking a parachute to work” he says. In my time at UNB many friends have chosen to accept challenge offered by firefighting. It demands fitness and mental toughness to be sure, but offers exceptional rewards. No-one I have spoken to has come to regret firefighting, or its lucrative pay.
Third-year student Matt Chase has found employment right here in New Brunswick. Beginning on a road construction crew, he has risen through the ranks of JD Irving Limited to work as a site preparation supervisor this coming summer. That’s what six years of hard work and commitment to a company can provide “Sweating out long days on the opposite end of a compactor certainly wasn't an easy job, and after a wet day in a White Spruce plantation counting densities you begin to wonder what you are doing.” says Chase, “Now I see that those jobs prepared me for the responsibility of looking after three tree planting crews, and even more to come.” The opportunities to develop practical experience and technical skill provided by such a job teach more to students than any classroom. No exam is more challenging than an unexpected breakdown; students quickly learn to work with both people and machines in such tense situations. Chase concludes, “Doing a good job, no matter how seemingly unrewarding, does not go unnoticed and WILL play dividends some day.”
These are not the only kinds of jobs forestry students are passionate about. Coach of the UNB Woodsmen, Mike Downing, returns home to rural Quebec every year to work in the small forestry contracting business his father owns. Monica McKendy, who graduates this year, has worked with a leading forestry company in Ontario where she has developed lasting connections in this familiar industry. Her involvement in professional associations has also afforded her the chance to travel thousands of kilometers to attend forestry conferences. Third-year Michelle Baker has been actively involved in research, learning practical field skills and enjoying peaceful hours in the woods. She has recently accepted an offer from the Nature Conservancy, a position which will allow her to travel across New Brunswick and see unique natural wonders. Even more unusual jobs exist, for those with the drive to find them.
A good writer is supposed to disengage himself from the story, but I must now make an exception. I am fortunate to have been in a faculty small enough to allow me such control over my experience at university. I have had good and bad professors, and learned from them all. I have stood shoulder to shoulder with my fellow woodsmen to defend the pride of our team. I have made good friends here, and will be proud to graduate with them as my colleagues. My time here has been often exciting, sometimes disappointing, but never idle. I think I speak for all the people mentioned above when I declare I would not trade for anything; it has made me who I am.
– Andrew Holt
