Final Thought on Course One

Its been a month now since my last post and suffice to say it has been busy in Sverige (Sweden). Immediately after returning from Zurich course two was well on its way. But before sharing with you any of the course two adventure so far a few last thoughts on my first semester in Sweden.

I can truthfully say learned a great deal in the first course. Without a doubt I now have a better grasp of basic silviculture in this region and some terminology and concepts that I can take with me anywhere I go. Part of the reason I chose the program in Sweden was because I didn't feel I had a grasp of what forestry really involves in a practical sense. I think I have a better understanding of that now and how these silvicultural decisions connect to the broader issues that I am interested in.

At the very least I got to see one of the oldest trees in Europe on the last excursion. This is me with an oak tree estimated to be about 1000 years old...its seen better days and needs some help staying in one piece - but while looking at this photo I began to think about the fact that we all need a little support to stay in one piece through the storm our lives too....