Good Natured Pennsylvanians
Jen
Hirt is the volunteer Old-Growth Forest Network coordinator for Dauphin
County. Jen’s passion for the outdoors inspires her work teaching
creative writing at Penn State Harrisburg.
Jen was integral to the induction of Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area to the Old-Growth Forest Network.
“Boyd
has an extensive trail system, but since it is also a conservation
area, it has been kept somewhat primitive,” says Jen. “This means that
one of the great benefits is the solitude, the deep woods feel, and the
immediate wild vibrancy that you can experience in any season.”
The
network is a national organization working to preserve ancient forests
for the enjoyment of present and future generations. In counties capable
of supporting forest growth, the network identifies at least one forest
that will be protected from logging and open to the public.
Volunteers like Jen are crucial to finding these locations.
As
the volunteer coordinator for Dauphin County, Jen’s task is to identify
forests that meet the Old-Growth Forest Network’s criteria for
old-growth or future old-growth -- meaning it is a just a few decades
shy of attaining old-growth status, and with further protection, it will
reach this status.
“I
look for a variety of tree species and a range of ages in the trees. I
look for standing snags. I look for fallen trees that have been left
untouched and are now nurse trees,” Jen says. “I also try to visit in
different seasons to see what else is part of the forest environment --
certain fungus, wildflowers, or bird species that might hint at
old-growth status.”
She
encourages her students to incorporate Pennsylvania’s outdoors into
their writing, utilizing outdoor spaces and nature as inspiration.
Jen
spends time in the classroom teaching about Pennsylvania’s wild
animals. One of Jen’s courses has students go out to visit a state park
on their own and write a poem or story about it, and she sometimes leads
them on hikes. Jen uses her own published works about the state’s
old-growth forests as examples for her students as well.
Jen
thinks that when it comes to valuing forests, we must look at them as a
whole and not at individual trees. It can be easy to value a tree that
is the tallest, or the oldest, or the most unusual, but the forest
itself is made up of many stages of life and death that is hectic and
not landscaped with any single focal point.
If
someone asks Jen where the ‘big tree’ is at Boyd Big Tree Preserve, she
tells them: “It’s all the trees, it’s the whole place, not one special
destination tree.” Then the light bulb goes on in their heads. They
realize they can visit Boyd Big Tree and start seeing interesting stuff
right away, everywhere -- they don’t have to hike to find the one ‘big
tree.’
Jen believes to value a forest is to value the small connections, the small networks, that create a bigger experience.
“And
these little pockets of old-growth, small as they are, are hidden
everywhere,” she says. “To walk in them feels different, feels better, I
think. If we can value that awareness in our forests, I would like to
think we can value it within ourselves too.”
Know
of a good natured Pennsylvanian who is passionate about outdoor
recreation and/or conservation that we should feature? Contact us at ra-resource@pa.gov to nominate someone.
No comments:
Post a Comment