Hardwoods & Sustainable Forestry with Forester Chris Guth
Woodworking Network (March 8, 2017)

When asked what the biggest misconception is about his job as Timber Resource Manager for Northwest Hardwoods (NWH) in northwest Pennsylvania, Christopher Guth laughs and says quickly, “When I say I’m a forester, people think I mean forest ranger. They think I’m up in a fire tower looking for smoke.”
 
“People don’t think of a forester as working within the timber industry.”

What is an industrial forester?

Chris is an industrial forester—a person who’s charged with managing and caring for trees, and who’s employed within the timber industry to do just that. He’s clear about the importance of his occupation in protecting natural resources.
 
“An industrial forester has the greatest impact on forests because they’re directly responsible for the harvesting of timber,” he explains.
Professional foresters are knowledgeable and experienced in forest management best practices as well as sustainable forest management. Chris’s team of industrial foresters is comprised entirely of professional foresters—those who hold undergraduate degrees in forest science. Their goal is to operate forest harvests in a way that promotes a continuous supply of high quality, desirable hardwood trees for the company’s sawmills, while maintaining and enhancing all the other benefits that healthy forest provide, such as clean water, clean air and recreation, both for today and for future generations.

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