Hi, and welcome to the 2013 Field School. Throughout the two-week session, students will be posting their photos and thoughts as we move through a fairly intensive, but fun-filled time.

My name is Jim Kiser and I am the lead instructor for the Field School. In addition to being on the College of Forestry Faculty, I bring over 30 years of field experience to my passion for teaching. My wife Ann and I live on a 25 acre farm in Lacomb and when I’m not in the classroom, you can find us out working our wine grape vineyard or playing with our  6 horses in the pastures or the arena. My teaching focus is in the areas of surveying, aerial photography, and forest biometrics

The mission of the field school is to help prepare both resident and transfer students for the upcoming Junior year as they enter the Forestry Professional School. Students in the Professional School have completed their first two years of preparation work and have qualified and been admitted to the Professional School. Field School will build on some of the past field skills and knowledge base, as well as adding new information and skills. All of this will happen around a central theme of examining the forest through it’s growing stages and comparing/contrasting working west-side Oregon Douglas-fir forests with the working mixed-conifer forests of the central Cascades.

Additionally, students will be in field-related exercises where they will be asked to take on leadership roles in group-work situation. In addition to fostering a camaraderie with their peers, this will be preparation for them to go on to take leadership roles in course group work in the 3rd and 4th year classes of the Professional School Program. Throughout the 2-weeks, students will build on a set of student-derived core values related to the goals of their education, confidence as professionals, and an intensive and fun-filled experience.

If you are visiting the site, welcome and we look forward to any comments or questions about the Field School

Cheers,

Jim