KentuckyNRES

A wee Dusky

Stoneflies, mayflies, dragonflies are great indicator species of a stream’s water quality!

In the first station, we measured canopy density with this spherical densiometer

Today is the last day of UK NRES’ exciting adventure at in Robinson Forest. Dr. Chris Barton came up to lead us in Best Management Practices (BMP) exercises. We were split into three seperate groups. We visited 4 different sites, three that had been treated for better water management and quality, and the last was a control group. Each group worked in different stations to measure water quality in different ways. One station was at a weir and measured pH and turbidity, another was surveying invertebrates because they are great indicator species, and the last was surveying herps in and along the stream. Everyone’s data was combined and analyzed to compare the water quality in the different sites. This last exercise forced us to combine the information we learned over these past few weeks at the forest in order to make educated assumptions about the environment. Thank you to all the instructors, Neva and Irwin, and Gilbert for making our time at camp legendary.

Hash Browns Forestry  

Today concluded our forestry lessons. We put our newfound skills to the test in the field, and surveyed several locations. In the later part of the day, we had a comprehensive field exam. These past two days have taught us all so much about forestry. Not just in theory, like it is in a classroom, but in actual practice. I know I came away with a better understanding, and a greater appreciation, of modern forestry and the people who practice it.   

BPM Lumber rests in the countryside of Laurel County, Kentucky. A land of rolling green hills and valleys, like a turbulent sea of emerald trees. A fitting home for sustainable forestry, and for BPM. We were visiting BPM to get a quick overview of how a modern sawmill operates. We arrived and were promptly greeted by BPMs friendly staff, and were given a tour of the facility by one of their foremen. The air in, and around, the mill was rich with sawdust and the smell of raw wood. An organic, almost molassesey, fragrance. The noise of the saws, and the rattles of conveyors, were all that could be heard. The process of converting logs into lumber was fascinating. The degree of accuracy, speed, and the almost wasteless production that BPM practices is something to see. Suffice it to say, it was quite the experience, and I left with a good conceptual understanding of the lumber industry.   

Forestry Resources and Measurements 

Today in Robinson Forest we had Christopher Reeves come join us to talk about Tree Resources and Measurements. We started off the day bright and early in the classroom at 8 AM. The day (morning) was split up into 3 subjects, Timber Measures and the Board Foot, Taking The Timber out of Trees and the Vertical Board Feet, and Ecological and Silvicultural Measures. After each section we would go out into the field perform what we just learned in class, record measurements, and then come back to the classroom and do calculations based on the measurements we found in the field. The skills used today is useful for plotting sites and other forestry techniques which we will learn more about tomorrow.

After what seemed like a short weekend for everyone, students were back in action Monday morning for a day of Soil studies, lead by UK’s Dr. McNear. We started in the classroom with some general overview of Appalachian soil and composition. Following that, we took a early morning stroll (vigorous uphill hike) to the fire tower, stopping at 3 separate soil pits along the way up. At each site, Dr. McNear gave a brief description of what we may find and why. He then turned us loose at each site to work together and figure out soil profiles, the Munshell notation and name, as well as the structure and textural class of the soils. After reaching the fire tower and the last soil pit, we began the descent, and waited for lunch (Neva hit her stride with the taco’s today). After lunch it was back to the classroom where we split into two groups and took pH level as well as measured for the amount of calcium and iron in each sample we collected along the way. After collecting and compounding the data, we ended with some overall conclusions and takeaways from our last Monday of camp!

Northern long-eared bat

Thursday night was bat misnetting night with Dr. Lacki. NRES campers were split into 3 seperate groups and each group was given a different site to set up nets and monitor for bats. Dr. Lacki and his graduate assistants taught the campers how to set up the nets, where to set them up, and how to tie effective knots. Then came the waiting. The nets were checked every 15 minutes for bats or other critters. Finally, after roughly 3 hours, Dr. Lacki radioed the groups about a bat he had caught. There were some technical difficulties with the vehicles and gear so the night was unfortunately cut short. However, we had the pleasure to see an endangered bat species, the Northern long-eared bat.