28 May NEPA Team Field Day – Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest Edition

Who’s Joyce Kilmer?

I don’t really know.

What’s the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest?

Well now let me tell you about that.

As the US Forest Service would describe it, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is, “one of the Nation’s most impressive remnants of old-growth forest.” The forest is made up of trees of over 100 different species with some of them being 400 years old!  For Western North Carolina, where historically most of the forests were compromised by clear-cut logging, this is quite impressive. The Forest was set aside in 1936 as a memorial to the author of the poem “Trees” (I’ll attach it to the end of this post). He died during World War I and in return we now have impressive old-growth in the Appalachians.

Our trip through this designated Wilderness area occurred as an opportunity for me to meet a District level NEPA Planner. Because I work at the Supervisor’s office, my projects come from all Forests in the state, whereas for Taylor, his projects are district based. Both have their unique perks and challenges, but I found it very fascinating to hear all that Taylor had to say. Overall, I am very grateful to have a team of NEPA people here. The job has a huge learning curve, but it’s nice to have a group of supportive and cool people to learn from.

Till next month!

Trees

BY JOYCE KILMER

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.