Like the symbiosis of mycelium and tree roots, the Forestry Crew is a perfect arc between academics and work on-campus. To fulfill the College’s Forest Plan, students work closely with the Forest Manager and Crew Supervisor to perform silvicultural maintenance, conduct research and inventory, and produce non-timber forest products.

See the Forest Through the Trees

Students on the Forestry Crew are exposed to situations and gain skills as diverse as our forest. From timber felling, prescribed fire, and exotic invasive species control to crafting non-timber forest products, planting understory medicinal plants, and conducting research, students are well-equipped with the skills, knowledge, and systems-thinking to launch their career or graduate school.

What You’ll Learn

You’ll spend years working alongside your peers with the mentorship of your supervisors.  Part of the experience of work at Warren Wilson is guided critical reflection, which helps ensure that you achieve both your own educational goals as well as our Common Learning Outcomes. These intentional learning outcomes distinguish our Work Program, giving it focus and relevancy that set it apart from a federal work-study or your average part-time job. 

Our Common Learning Outcomes:

• Professionalism & Work Ethic: accountability, effective work habits, punctuality, dependability, time management, integrity, and commitment to the well-being of the community.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: working with available resources to creatively address issues and solve problems, and gaining confidence to make decisions.
• Communication: the ability to convey and receive information effectively with intentionality, honesty, and confidence in both speech and writing.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: actively collaborate with peers to achieve common goals, Distribute labor fairly, and hold each other accountable as committed members of a group.
• Civic Identity: understanding your active influence within the community and how your decisions directly impact the work around you.

In addition to our Common Learning Outcomes, each crew in the Work Program identifies crew-specific goals for learning and performance. These are reviewed with you each semester. Your crew-specific learning goals outline skills and abilities your supervisor will teach you during the semester. 

Some of our Forestry Crew Learning Goals include:

• Teamwork
• Completing daily tasks guided by a long-term plan
• Safe and skillful operation of chainsaws, mauls, portable sawmills, etc.
• Silvicultural practices: timber felling, enrichment planting, mensuration, exotic invasive species control
• Producing value-added non-timber forest products: syrups, medicinals, agroforestry plantings, and mushroom cultivation
• Responsibility and initiative