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• School of Forest Resources Hosts Ukrainian Foresters

School of Forest Resources Hosts Ukrainian Foresters

In August 2007, the School of Forest Resources and the College of

Agricultural Science’s Woskob International Research in Agriculture (WIRA) Committee hosted a Ukrainian forestry delegation for a 10-day visit. The delegation was comprised of five forestry professionals from academia and government agencies—the Institute of Forestry and Landscape Architecture at the National Agricultural University of Ukraine (NAUU) in Kiev, the National Forestry University of Ukraine (NFUU) in Lviv, and the State Committee of Forests (SCFE, which is analogous to the USDA Forest Service) in the regions of Crimea and Ivano-Frankivsk.

Blaine Puller (left) land manager at Kane Hardwood, discusses log values with Ukrainian delegation.

The visit was part of a bilateral exchange project to share forestry research and technology. Wayne Myers, professor of forest biometrics; Marc McDill, associate professor of forest management; and Mike Jacobson, associate professor of forest resources, had visited Ukraine in October 2006 where they learned about forest management issues in three regions of the country, with three days in and around Kiev, three days in the Crimean peninsula, and four days in Lviv and the Carpathian mountain region. Their trip was hosted by the faculties from NAUU in Kiev and NFUU in Lviv and local SCFE personnel in each region.

Jacobson met the delegates in Washington, DC, where they later had the opportunity to interact with USDA Forest Service personnel from various units: ecosystem services, forest health monitoring, international programs, and timber management. The Ukrainians also met with nongovernmental organizations including the American Forest Association and US-Ukraine Foundation.

The meetings were a good introduction to U.S. forest management and policy, which is significantly different from what the Ukrainians experience at home. Less than 15 percent of their land is forested, and the Ukrainian government manages nearly all of the nation’s forests. But the government is considering privatization of Ukrainian forests.

En route to central Pennsylvania, the delegates stopped to see forests in the Southern Alleghenies. They later toured Penn State University Park and the School of Forest Resources Stone Valley Forest. At the home of George Woskob, the donor who provided funds to establish the WIRA program, they met with Robert Steele, our College’s dean; Deanna Behring, our College’s director of international programs; and School of Forest Resources faculty.

Marc McDill (second from left) poses with Ukrainian forestry delegates at Twin Lakes Recreation Area on the Allegheny National Forest.

From State College, the delegates traveled with McDill to Johnsonburg, where they toured Domtar’s minimal emissions state-of-the-art pulp and paper mill. Next they visited the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) where Dr. Susan Stout of the U.S. Forest Service’s Northeast Experiment Station spoke to them about the silvicultural challenges and the research being done there. They also learned about the challenges of managing recreational use of the ANF, and toured the Twin Lakes Recreational Area. At Kane Hardwood’s lumber mill, Blaine Puller, lands manager, gave the delegates a tour and a silviculture lesson. The visit to the northern forests of the state concluded with a stop at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum and a forest walk led by Dr. Timothy Pierson, senior extension educator.

The final leg of the delegation’s introduction to Pennsylvania forestry was led by Ken Balliet, forester and business management educator for Cooperative Extension and a member of the WIRA Committee. Three days spent in the Central Susquehanna Valley familiarized the group with our agricultural and forest heritage and showcased the Pennsylvania Forest Stewards program. The delegates visited the Bureau of Forestry silvicultural demonstration area near Laurelton and the woodlots of forest stewards Chandis Klinger (in Paxtonville) and Jay Livziey (in Weikert). The time in the valley culminated with an informal discussion group at the Lycoming County Extension Office that featured seven Pennsylvania forest stewards and the Ukrainian delegation.

“It was indeed a whirlwind tour,” commented McDill, “but the delegates were no doubt much better informed about the diversity of Pennsylvania’s forests; the individuals, companies, and agencies that manage them; and the challenges they face.”

Returning to State College before their final departure, the delegates presented an afternoon seminar in the Forest Resources Building to introduce attendees to forestry and natural resources in Ukraine. They spoke about forest composition, forest education and research, and forest regeneration.

The exchange project will continue. One of several activities on the horizon is being planned by Balliet and Jacobson. They hope to take delegations of Pennsylvania Forest Stewards to Ukraine to explore forest management issues in the context of Ukrainian culture, and to bring forest landowners from Ukraine here as part of a mentoring program.

Penn State | College of Agricultural Sciences | School of Forest Resources