FORESTRY & PRODUCT INTERNSHIP/ APPRENTICESHIP Summer Internships, 2012 FOR FULL-TIME JOBS, SEE "EMPLOYMENT" back to top
Greenleaf Forestry & Wood Products, Inc., offers seasonal work-study internships for forestry and wood product students that involve a practical and varied learning experience.These internships are intended to introduce the Greenleaf business model and possibly lead to a permanent job with Greenleaf. (see FORESTER ANNOUNCEMENT.) Work-study internships are structured for learning, with educational experience + room and board, and sometimes small net pay, in trade for productive work.
NOTE: BEGINNING IN 2012, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR OTHERS TO SUPPORT THE INTERNSHIP LEARNING PROGRAM AS TEACHER, CAMP COOK, DRIVER, RESEARCH ASSISTANT, ETC. Please contact Len Lankford (see below). Room and board may be provided.
The forestry and forest landscaping section involves manual labor using chainsaws and other logging machinery and hand equipment. We include experience and training in the most basic parts of all forestry businesses – applied and practical forest management planning, resource analysis, project design, project layout, tree selection, cutting, wood removal, and slash treatment, along with equipment and crew operations. Tree planting and transplanting may be included seasonally.
We round out an integrated forestry experience with wood product breakdown in our sawmill/ pole peeler facility and with value-added secondary product creation and marketing, and match the work with personal interests as much as possible.See below for other internships/ apprenticeships/ jobs.All of our forestry work is done in a sustainable manner,
much of it for either forest health, aesthetics, or wildfire hazard mitigation.Crewmembers will learn how to perform and help manage this work, and will have the opportunity with experience to advance to crew leaders and possible employment or networked business with demonstrated ability.
Greenleaf Forestry and Wood Products has been in business since 1994 in the Wet Mountain Valley of Southern Colorado.Our founder and forester, Len Lankford, has lived and worked here since 1975, and was one of Colorado’s pioneering private foresters.We are a community-based, integrated, full-circle forestry company, working in land management, forest landscaping, firewood sales, lumber milling on our handset circular sawmill, small cabin and furniture construction, and tree planting and transplanting.All of our work currently takes place on private land.Interns/apprentices will have the opportunity for frequent interaction with Len to learn, improve skills, and contribute to the development of a new type of integrated and community forestry business.
We are finding ways to create jobs and viable rural businesses that make use of the abundant natural resource we have nationwide -- small diameter timber.Instead of cutting only the largest trees in the forest, we cut what is good for the forest, mimicking the natural process and thinning to protect homes from wildfires in an aesthetic manner.This work produces a mix of sizes and irregular wood, which our mill crew makes into rough lumber, logs, poles, firewood, and value-added rustic wood products.See details at more pages of our website www.greenleafforestry.com .
Qualified applicants will be forestry or wood product graduates, physically fit, preferably have some chainsaw and carpentry experience, reliable transportation, a drivers license, current certification in First Aid and CPR, and a tested ability and willingness to work in all weather and rustic conditions.Experience with heavy equipment is helpful, but not required.An interest in sustainable forestry and business, willingness to study limited educational assignments and research on non-work time, and love of living and working in a small town mountain environment will be essential to success.
Trade work is dependent on experience and demonstrated skills, with shared cooperative home lodging for single students. Work-study internships are balanced trades of productive work for educational experience, room and board, for no net cost/ income, or small income. The work season is variable and limited, with 40-hour work weeks and 10 to 12-week minimums in summer and fall seasons.
We have a responsible, shared duty, non-smoking, and drug-free work and lodging environment. Participants are expected to demonstrate enthusiasm, leadership, and dedication to the work/ learning environment.
Please email or postal mail a letter of interest and resume by email as soon as possible to:
WOOD MANUFACTURING INTERNSHIP/ Summer Internships, 2012 back to top
Greenleaf Forestry and Wood Products offers Wood Product Internships/ Apprenticeships/ Work-Study with exposure to our wood manufacturing business. The work especially involves manual labor and using basic sawmilling, wood shop and carpentry equipment and tools.We start from raw logs and poles and create both primary and secondary wood products.
We offer experience and training in the most basic parts of all wood manufacturing businesses – practical and physical work in creating wood products.This will include, depending on the intern's abilities and interests, primary manufacturing (running a large circular sawmill and associated equipment, mechanical and hand pole peelers, wood splitter, log sorting, and lumber drying) and secondary manufacturing(project conception, design, cost analysis, prototyping, system development, product manufacturing, product marketing, and business management.)We try to match the work with personal interests, specializing in rustic and roundwood designs created from local woods with character. Special Work-Study Internships include structured learning. Opportunities vary depending on the year.
See elsewhere on our website other internships, apprenticeships, and jobs.We are seeking economic ways to use salvaged/ harvested wood material from forest restoration, fire hazard mitigation, and ecological management to created sustainable jobs and businesses.Wood manufacturing crewmembers will learn how to perform and manage this work, and will have the opportunity with experience to advance to
crew leaders and possible continued employment or in-network business.
Greenleaf Forestry and Wood Products has been in business since 1994 in the Wet Mountain Valley of Southern Colorado.Our founder and forester, Len Lankford, has lived and worked here since 1975, and was one of Colorado’s pioneering private foresters.We are an integrated, full-circle forestry company, working in land management, forest landscaping, firewood sales, lumber milling on our hand-set circular sawmill, small cabin and furniture construction, and tree planting and transplanting.Our work
currently takes place on private land. Interns will have the opportunity for frequent interaction with Len to learn and to contribute to the development of a new type of integrated and community forestry business.
We are finding ways to create jobs and viable businesses that make use of the abundant natural resource we have nationwide -- small diameter timber.Instead of cutting only the largest trees in the forest, we cut what is good for the forest, mimicking the natural process and thinning to protect homes from wildfires.This work produces a mix of sizes and irregular wood, which our mill crew makes into rough lumber, logs, poles, firewood, and an expanding line of value-added rustic wood products.See our website for more information.
Qualified applicants will be physically fit, preferably have chainsaw, wood shop, and carpentry experience, reliable transportation, current CPR and First Aid certificates, and tested ability and willingness to work in all weather and rustic shop conditions.Experience with heavy equipment is helpful, but not necessary.An interest in sustainable forestry and business will also be beneficial, as would a love of living and working in a small town mountain environment.
Trade work is dependent on experience and demonstrated skills, with shared cooperative home lodging for single students. Work-study Internships are trade productive work in exchange for educational experience plus room and board, with no net cost/ income, or small income. The work season is limited and variable, with 40-hour weeks and 10-12 week minimums in the fall and spring seasons.We have a responsible, shared duty, non-smoking,
and drug-free work and lodging environment. Participants are expected to demonstrate enthusiasm, leadership, and dedication to the work/ learning environment. Please send a letter of interest and resume by email as soon as possible.
NOW AVAILABLE -- FOR 2012! Help plan an effective forest stewardship system!
Forest Stewardship Planning ---
Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Custer County
See other Graduate Forestry Internship details in the next section: “Sustainable
Forestry Internship for 2012.”
The Project involves research, mapping, database, analysis, other
work, and written report(s) towards completing an initial Forest Stewardship Master
Plan and engaging woodland owners in the process. This includes work on the following and
other topics common to Forest Stewardship Plans, as assigned and as time allows,
under the direction and joint work of Len Lankford, Forester:
Resource
assessment
Public
and private lands
i.Forest/ vegetative types, estimated volumes, species, ages, and
growth
ii.Wildfire incidence and sustainable vegetative/ silvicultural
management
iii.Landscape Neighborhoods, Access, and Watersheds analysis
iv.Wilderness area impact
v.Division of Wildlife regarding wildlife management and hunting
vi.Impact of recreational uses
Public
lands— government agency information (US Forest Service, Colorado)
i.U. S. Forest Service management strategy and plans
ii.Colorado State Forest Service managed areas
Private
lands – County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) information
i.New work in GIS mapping / layers for Landscape Neighborhoods
ii.Conservation Easements (with San Isabel Land Protection Trust)
iii.Small to large parcels analysis, including identifying managed
woodlands
iv.Survey private forest managers and foresters for input and
observations
Landowner
contacts
Survey
of woodland owner interests and motivations in target area
Provide
information/ education and way to respond
Seek
participation in the Master Plan and forestry implementation
Promote
forestry service jobs for Greenleaf and its business network
Determine
interest for and viability of timber sales versus cost projects
Local
industry capacity
Survey
of forestry service providers
Survey
of wood mills and manufacturers – products and capacities
Retail
sales outlets
Other
markets
4. Initial written
Master Plan, including Action Plan and preparation of a public presentation.Goal is to have a draft report using all
available information by the end of this Internship period.
A Graduate Internship in Forestry. Directed by Len Lankford, Forester(MF Yale 1974; BF Stephen F. Austin 1969) . See “about us” pages
of this websitefor more
information. Len Lankford will be highly available during the internship for
discussions, learning, and knowledge building. This program is our own and not accredited by any institution.
This project is for June- August each year, or other periods per intern
availability.
Project Description:(all or parts of this outline may be tailored to an intern)
A. Assist Forester to refine initial Forest Stewardship Master
Plan for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Custer County, Colorado. See ABOVE OUTLINE – Forest Stewardship
Planning – for background work to be done first.Also see Custer County Community Wildfire
Protection Plan (CWPP) online at http://custercountygov.com/wildfire_protection_plan.htm
to develop a holistic view of the forest health and management problem. Seek
and check on-the-ground forest resource and forest health using photos, maps,
data, and meetings to help get landowners interested in their woodlands.Write newspaper articles introducing the
project.
B. Consider needs of the forest first, and then how to achieve
true sustainable forestry in the complex resource and ownership array, with
triple bottom line goals (environmental, social, and economic) and using
private for-profit business as the implementation tool.
C. Use and test the website www.engaginglandowners.org and
other sources for developing new approaches to activate woodland owners of the
target areas.Plan and test landowner
contacts, interest, and involvement. Host meeting(s) to test the ideas and get
landowner feedback.
D. Study and formulate a cooperative business and/or business
network to create a system of collaborative/ cooperating businesses,
landowners, and agencies for long-term implementation of forest stewardship in
the Sangres.Offer financial and
directive participation to landowners and businesses that may network in a
cooperative or network.Create an
initial business plan, including services and products and financial
plan, a model of how service and product integration will work, and investment
needs and returns.
E. Research and create initial cooperative business bylaws and
other business documents.Write a
prospectus for the cooperative / network business that includes landowners, businesses,
employees, and outside investors.Hold
public meetings to seek interest and involvement. Set in motion the
implementation of the integrated cooperative / network forestry business, ready for
defined next steps.
General:This
internship will furnish room and board, plus transportation as needed to/from a
Colorado airport and in the local area.The intern is responsible for all other personal expenses.
OTHER GRADUATE INTERNSHIPS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:back to top
Offered to graduate students from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in the intersection of forestry, business, government and the environment. Applicants are preferably in masters or doctoral programs. Interns will develop their own project with the guidance of forester Len Lankford, on a one-on-one basis, and will do assignments of benefit to the Company. Room & board provided. Areas of study include:
Business Models for Community-Based Forestry Look at different models and existing enterprises, from both a business and non-profit perspective, including cooperatives, associations, and business networks. Recommend changes to Greenleaf for testing and development, with the goal of providing a model for establishing similar businesses, structures, or a market network in many forest communities. Goal is a written report documenting research, recommendations, and an implementation plan. This is part of the Sustainable Forestry Internship described above.
Community-Based Forestry Business Education Programs Study and develop training programs to establish and support community-based forestry enterprises nationwide. Include critical business needs, forestry practices, skill training, and standards. Design a system including internships, site visits, apprenticeships, and business workshops. This internship will use the experience of the Greenleaf program and others, and a report will be prepared to guide implementation of the training program.
Adaptive Wood Products Development Research wood products that best fit small, integrated community-based forestry enterprises. Develop product lines, designs, marketing materials and methods, and build (or have built in our shop) prototypes from sustainably harvested woods. Network with other businesses for joint product development and marketing. Provide a written report documenting research, recommendations, and an implementation plan. Community-Based Forest Stewardship Co-Op/ Association Model Research and develop a forest stewardship contract system (co-op or association) for small forest owners, public lands, and other stakeholders to share in a locally based, sustainable forest care and products business. This topic may be included as part of the Sustainable Foresty Internship described above.
