Will Watkins, Forester’s Assistant

My name is Will Watkins. I recently graduated from North Carolina State University in Raleigh with a bachelor’s degree in Forest Management. If you recognize my bio at all, it’s because I was an intern here at GMF last summer, and I loved it so much that I wanted to return. This summer I am filling a position as a forester’s assistant, supervising and working with the interns on most of their projects while also getting to go out and complete some individual tasks. One of the reasons that I wanted to come back to GMF was because of how diverse and large the forest is. Even though I was here an entire summer, I only touched the surface of what I could experience at GMF. So, I wanted to come back and discover all I missed and continue some of the work I ran out of time to finish.

In only the first week of being back, we hit the ground running, setting up trail cameras around the forest to monitor wildlife. We have also begun to take inventory of and mark out an old stand of white pine for a thinning. We are thinning to give more space to the best trees in the stand so that they can add more growth around the stem and to allow more light to reach the forest floor. Methods to choose which trees to keep standing and which to take out involve looking at how the spacing of each tree impacts the trees around it as well as the growth form of the trees.

Finn Harris, Intern

My name is Finn Harris, and I am a rising senior at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. There are many aspects of my life that have drawn me to pursue a life in natural resources, but simply put, I have been an avid outdoorsman my entire life and absolutely love being in natural spaces. I often catch myself daydreaming about playing in the woods or in a stream when I’m stuck indoors for too long, so I decided to make my career outdoors.

Throughout my hunt for a summer job, I had been monitoring available positions in New England, as I am eager to learn about a different region of the country and how forestry is done outside of the southeast. Luckily, I was able to land a position on the Great Mountain Forest summer crew!

GMF’s work on forest resilience, supporting biodiversity, protection of watershed resources, and commitment to education and research is important, impactful, and represents ideals that I value deeply. I was further drawn to this position because of GMF’s commitment to exposing interns to lots of different projects and learning opportunities. Considering my future goals are rooted in establishing productive forests to foster ecosystem services and functions, I truly believe my time at GMF will be very meaningful and memorable.

Tim Ostap, Intern

My name is Tim Ostap and I am a rising senior at the University of Vermont pursuing dual B.S. degrees in Forestry and Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. Outside the classroom, I serve as president of the UVM Birding Club and as a board member of the local Audubon chapter.

What draws me most to forestry is the intersection of wildlife conservation and land stewardship, particularly the way active management can benefit both the land and the species that depend on it. Forests are incredibly complex systems, and I am continually fascinated by how a forester’s decisions cascade across an entire ecosystem, shaping far more than just species composition. I have already been surprised by the tree, wildlife, and bird diversity that Great Mountain Forest stewards, and I look forward to discovering more.

I am so grateful to be here this summer. I am excited to contribute to the large-scale inventory plots, participate in the wide array of ongoing research projects, and mark my first silvicultural treatment. GMF offers exactly the kind of hands-on experience that makes everything learned in the classroom feel tangible, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store.

Serenity Zullo, Intern

My name is Serenity Zullo and I’m a student at Paul Smith’s College majoring in ecological forest management with a botany minor. I was born and raised in New York City, specifically the Bronx. I currently reside in western New York near Buffalo and Rochester but
visit the Hudson Valley region often. I always had a love for nature but didn’t grow up knowing about forestry. It wasn’t until I did a landscaping internship at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx that really solidified my love for the outdoors. My love for nature increased when I decided to go to Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks.

I’m currently finding a lot of interest in understory plant identification and management. I’d love to be able to understand a forest through what grows below it. I’m also interested in forest management with a wildlife thought process. I’ve picked up bird watching not too long ago and continued to wonder how forestry might impact specific birds.

I’m very excited to build upon my forestry knowledge and skills with Great Mountain Forest. I’m looking forward to tackling different projects including forest inventory, setting up trail cameras, and more! I’m also looking forward to increasing my knowledge of understory plants in the Great Mountain Forest. I’m thrilled to be working with GMF this summer.